


Death Game

by mylovelylions



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Smut, To Read, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-04-20 20:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylovelylions/pseuds/mylovelylions
Summary: Morie never wanted to take the Hunter Exams. If it wasn't for the debt that she owed to her brothers then she wouldn't have even considered it. But when they come back after another year of rejection and they plead for her to enter, hoping that her unnatural abilities can get them past the exam - well, how can she refuse?
Relationships: Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 91
Kudos: 187





	1. Chapter 1

_ Chapter One _

_ It was always the same. _

I was hungry and cold - dried sweat chilling along my spine under the thin cotton of my hoodie from the sweltering day before. The sun-parched you out from morning until evening but after that, it was time for the chilled winds to tear you apart.

"Little girl." I flinched, drawing deeper into the side of the building, trying to hide in the shadows. I could smell sweat and dirt in the air. Unwashed skin and oil. These people were dirty. They made mud houses with metal running through like spikes - that's what mother had told me. I sniffled. What she had told me before she died. "She's scared."

I wiped away my tears, tugging Minoru closer to me, the dark blue of his fabric nearly blending into the shadows but the swirls of glittering red pulsing a beacon to the people trying to lure me out.  _ He'll protect you when I'm gone, _ Ma had said. And he had. Minoru had been the first friend that I had ever made, a creature that lived just beside the small hut that we kept in the woods.

"We won't hurt you," the voices said. I didn't believe them. When I had wandered here after Ma had died people had told me that too. They said I could trust them. They said I was safe. And when I woke up my bag had been stolen, the fire cold. I had been wandering the city ever since, scrounging around in trash cans and under carts. "We're your friends."

_ They sound nice _ , Minoru murmured to me through our mental connection. The only ones that he had ever spoken to were Ma and me. Ma had told me that his kind were rare and loyal.  _ Maybe we should trust them. _

I had scowled not bothering to give him a reply. I wouldn't trust them. A hand reached out from the darkness, trying to grab onto my shoulder and I bit out, clenching down until I tasted metal. Minoru gave a murmur of disapproval.

"She bit me!" the voice shrieked, reeling back as I finally let go.  _ Now you did it _ , Minoru sighed, his beady eyes moving to me. Normally he was in a hibernative state, barely lucid enough to do much but float around. He had remained my size for as long as I could remember, growing at a steady rate that matched my own. That in itself made it very difficult to keep him stuffed into the corner with me.

"Well, that's what you get for sticking your hands all over the place," another voice hissed, also male but a little bit younger. I scowled, crunching deeper into the little nook. "Doofus."

"Who are you callin' a doofus, you dumb goon?"

"Oh,  _ rich _ ," the other voice bickered back. "You're dumb enough to eat rocks."

" _ One _ time-" The squabbling went on long enough that I thought that they had forgotten about me until two sets of green eyes peeked from around the trash bin that I was behind. I reeled back, hissing like a rabid animal, Minoru tensing from his place squished up against my front.

"Wait, wait wait!" green eyes squicked, pulling back briefly as he saw my teeth widening to reach forward and bite off his nose. "Listen, I'm just gonna leave this food and juice right here and then we're gonna go. Promise. You can take it or leave it."

I paused, confused. They were leaving me food.  _ Suspicious _ , I thought.  _ Nice _ , Minoru argued. I sneered, eyeing the chicken wrapped up in parchment carefully. A small apple juice slid into view and my mouth watered. That's more food than I had seen in a while. I had been gorging myself on berries from the cities edge for days.

Still, I didn't move. That food was just out of reach, giving the three boys enough space to grab my nape or catch me, drag me out. I shivered, pressing my back more firmly to the wall. No way.

"You're just going to give her-"

"That's our-"

"I know." Green eyes voice was strong. I heard the shuffling of boots and then a deep sigh. "She needs it."

There was a brief pause before a disappointed sigh and then grumbling. Slowly, they made their way farther down the alley, their voices getting more and more distant until there was just the cities beat and nothing else. I peeked around the bend, seeing only dumpsters and overturned trash. My mouth watered. And the wrap.

Greedily, I grabbed it, shoving half into my mouth and the other half over to Minoru. He needed to eat a bit more but right now I just didn't know where to find anything. Minoru was almost completely dependant on me - and I suppose I was almost completely dependant on him as well.

"Should we move?" I whispered, taking another glance around the empty alley after polishing off the juice. The city had gone quiet, the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter distant from the cafes farther in town.

Minoru's eyes met mine, his stitched mouth pulling into a stiff smile.  _ Do you think they'll come back? _

I didn't answer him. Three boys barely older than I was - no they wouldn't come back to find me. I closed my eyes, curling into a tight ball in my little nook. Being in closed places like this made the wind less savage. They wouldn't come back. Still… it had been nice - the food.

I sniffed, twitching at the glare of the sun along with my bodies call for food. Against my ear, Minoru's tummy gave a growl of hunger. Another day - my bones popped as I turned, stretching… and caught sight of the neatly wrapped biscuit with jam and another apple juice. Sitting next to it was a worn red beanie.

I would wake up like that for the next couple of days, my nose always telling me that there was food sitting by the edge of my little hiding place before I even cracked an eye to check.

_ Nice _ , Minori chirped. And I could tell by the sly glint of his eyes that he was telling me that he was right. On the third day, I grew irritated. They were feeding me yet I could never catch them - never saw them come and deliver the food and drinks. That first night they had been so noisy and now they were silent.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stayed up all night. I bit down on my lip to keep myself awake while Minoru slept soundly beside me.

"Maaaaaannnnnn - that was hard to get, Imori~" I blinked, sitting up straighter as the sound of sneakers crunching along the street met my ears. Even though I knew they were coming, it still made me nervous. Did I really want to talk to them? What would that get me?

"She needs it more than we do," a gentle voice replied and then the crunching was right around the corner and I was sinking back, shutting my mouth tightly - I couldn't talk. I was scared - I was -

"THANK YOU!" The words yelped from my lips before I could think, making Minoru jolt awake and the boys jump back. I had screamed it. My cheeks burned. Blindly, I babbled out to the darkness - the sun still barely yawning it's way over the horizon, casting the area in shadows. "I wanted to thank you. You've helped me. Even though I bit you - even though I yelled at you - I just… thank you. I don't know how I'll -"

"Do you want to come home with us?" I blinked, the words sudden and jarring. Home? They wanted me to come home with them? I frowned, suddenly suspicious again.

"Ah, you sound like a creep-" one of the other voices drawled, earning a sharp slap. I peeked out, catching sight of the three boys who had been feeding me for the last few days as they brawled, kicking up dirt. They cursed foully at each other, one with a yellow tank top and a backward baseball cap on his head leaning against the wall watching the other two - a boy wearing a red shirt and another wearing blue. All of them had hats on and wore beat up shoes and shorts.

"Hey." I flinched back, the yellow-shirted guy catching sight of me and tipping his chin in my direction when his brothers stopped punching at each other. Three pairs of eyes settled on where I half-hid.

"She's young," the red-shirted boy mumbled, looking sad. I scowled. I was as old as them. I hated being called young. Ma had called me that whenever I had done something she didn't like. Beside me, Minoru remained still and silent. He didn't like being noticed by other people.

The blue-shirted boy stepped away from red, his striped cap drooping down over his eyes and his clothes ruffled from the scuffle. He was the one who had given me food that first night, I realized, catching sight of those green eyes.

"You sounded older," yellow shirt said matter-of-factly. He was taller and beefier than the other two, I realized, catching sight of his size as he straightened from the wall.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" the blue-shirted boy asked suddenly, his eyes intent as he took a step nearer to me. He must have been the nice one - the one with the gentle voice - Imori, I think they called him.

I bit my lip, glancing at Minoru. Should I tell them?  _ What would it matter? _ Minoru questioned.  _ They wouldn't be able to find the house in the woods and they probably already know that you don't have anywhere to go. If they wanted to be mean, then they would have done it a long time ago. _

"My ma died," finally said, my voice rough from misuse. I blinked back a sudden rush of tears. Alone, I realized. I was all alone. "She - she was my only family. I - I thought if - When our supplies ran out I had to come to the city. I thought I would be able to get - get some food but… they all wanted little metal circles…"

"Jennys?" redshirt questioned, his expression incredulous. I nodded vehemently. All the adults had shooed me away when I tried to talk to them - they hadn't liked when I had asked for food. They had gotten angry. When I had gone up to one of those steaming carts that smelled so good, they had asked me for that - jenny, they had said.  _ No jenny, no service, _ they had bellowed at me, swatting at my rump with a ladle until I went scampering away.

"You don't know what jennys are?" Yellow shirt blinked, clearly surprised.

"We - ma caught everything for us," I began, my voice wobbling as I glanced uncertainly at Mironu. "When she died…"

I trailed off, suddenly seeing that morning so clearly. Walking into her room, my feet cold against the wood floors, sweeping aside the satchels of dried herbs and meat. Ma had told me that today we would play hide and go seek. When she played this game with me, I was supposed to hide, squeeze myself into a cranny or nook and wait. Bottle up all that energy around you, she had chortled but her eyes were serious. She was always saying things like that. Things that confused me. She told me that I had too much  _ stuff  _ around - too much to see. I was too  _ present  _ in this world.

_ You feel that warmth around you, _ she would ask when she made me sit in the evenings with her, silent for hours and hours.  _ Like liquid - warm tea all around you?  _ I had giggled thinking about swimming in tea but quickly stopped when she slapped my wrist.  _ You're going to have to control that, panda. _

She had been teaching me how to hide all that before… I blinked, bile rising up in my throat. The blankets had been rumpled up all around her and her eyes had been closed. I had thought-

I blubbered out a breath, big, fat tears sliding hotly down my cheeks. I wanted my ma. I wanted my ma.

"Hey, hey," a voice whispered and I didn't pull away as my head bumped against a bony chest in blue. I didn't want any of them to see this but the tears were already coming and I couldn't stop them. "Sssshhh."

The supplies had ran out so quickly in the house and ma had told me I was too young to learn how to hunt or fish. I wasn't patient or quiet enough for that. All I could do was forage for fruits and vegetables. Even then, I was clumsy and I could only eat them raw or burnt up on a stick. Miruno needed more than that. He needed meat to survive. So I had gone into the town that ma had sometimes taken me to to get things like yarn and milk that we weren't able to get on our own. It had always seemed so nice - so warm.

I gave a sniffle, the tears growing slower and slower the more Imori held me. He smelled dirty. I sneezed.

"My names Imori," he suddenly whispered, pulling back so I had enough room to look up at him. He smiled, small and reassuring. Slowly, his brothers straightened from their slouches on either side of us.

"Umori," the yellow-shirted boy said, nodding.

"Amori," the red shirted one said.

"We can help you," Imori grinned, squeezing my shoulder. "If you want to stay here, we can teach you how to steal and fight."

I blinked. Steal? Wasn't that bad?  _ Definitely bad _ , Minuro murmured, sounding a bit scared.

_ I'm hungry,  _ I murmured back, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. The people of this town hadn't helped me… why should I feel bad for stealing from them?

"You can repay us for the food by workin' with us," Amori said. "Four people stealin' is better than three."

"And people always go easier on the girls," Umori assured, winking.

I glanced around at the trio. They had fed me when they hadn't needed to and now they were willing to give me a place to stay.

"Where are your parents?" I blurted out, regretting it immediately when their faces dropped.

"Orphans," Amori finally said after a long pause, bitterness licking along the word. Imori looked away, his eyes pained. Beside him, Umori stared down the alley, his jaw tight. "Folks 'round town call us the Amori brothers - we stick together."

"You can be a part of that," Imori said, his eyes gleaming hopefully. "Nobody else wants kids like us so we have to survive somehow right?"

I glanced between the three. They had been kind to me. My ma had told me a lot about debts - life debts. I would have starved to death if it wasn't for them and I owed them a debt.

_ Are you sure?  _ Minoru questioned. He would go wherever I would in the end but he still sounded a bit weary. All he knew was the hut and ma. Creatures like him were solitary, even from their parents. After they were able to fly and gather berries, the mother and father left the baby.  _ Puff puffs are very particular creatures, _ mother had once told me.

"Thank you," I finally whispered, dragging myself to my feet and Minoru along with me. He was hard to carry with his massive size. Most of the time, he would have let me get on his back and we would have just walked like that. But… people in town didn't look like they did things like that.

"Whoa, big teddy bear," Amori muttered, his eyes going wide as he took a step back.

"It's not-"  _ Don't tell them,  _ Minoru warned, sharply cutting me off. My eyes widened, flicking to his.  _ Just in case. _

"He's my teddy," I finished lamely, squeezing onto him.

"What's your name anyway?" Amori whistled, clasping his hands behind his head as we made our way slowly toward town.

"My ma called me panda," I said, blinking up into the burning sun. It was always so bright here. There weren't any trees to give shade in these big cities.

"Panda?" Umori scoffed.

"Oh, that won't work at all," Imori snipped and I blinked. They're going to change your name, Mironu gripped, sounding a bit miffed. Ma had said his name meant bear in some language.  _ My panda and bear, _ she used to giggle.

"We'll figure it out," Amori sniffed and I couldn't help feeling like a little part of me was being severed.

* * *

_ Okay! I hoped someone out there likes this and if you did please, please, please leave a review or follow/favorite. I would have made this chapter longer but I was kind of unsure if Hunter X Hunter wanted any new stories - I kind of ran through the other ones really quickly and I was so frustrated that I just had to post. But if I don't get any activity I guess I'll just have to take it down - either way, I hope you enjoyed it! _


	2. Chapter 2

_Please **follow/favorite** if you like it and also **review**! I kind of had to writing bug so I got out this chapter pretty quickly._

* * *

_Chapter Two_

_It was always the same._

I groaned, stretching out my neck. I could feel a slick flow of sweat already building at the base of my neck, trickling down the column of my spine. The same dream. Always the same dream - hungry and cold. This time no one came for me and Minoru and I starved to death behind that trash can.

"You're hoggin' the noodles, you goon!" Amori snarled, shoveling some pork into his mouth as he shoved Umori away with a hand to the face. We had begged our kiriko examiner to let us stop at one of the ramen shops on the way to our next test.

_Ew. _Minoru griped, those glassy looking eyes of his squinting across the table at my brothers. He hated it when they talked with their mouths full. In fact, sometimes I think he only put up with them because I didn't want to leave them.

"Minoru's glaring at us again," Imori wearily said, his eyes cautious as they scanned over the plushy teddy bear that I was currently perched on.

Minoru had grown proportional to my size as I had grown, resembling a giant stuffed animal that floated here and there according to my whims. When they had first seen me snuggle into his back, floating above our bed like a cloud had settled into my room, they had freaked. Superhuman, they had roared, all three of my brothers looking both gleeful and… jealous. It was the first time that I had felt uneasy around them.

"You keep talking like that and he'll eat you," Umori grumbled, gulping down another mouthful of scalding broth. Minoru had already gone through seven of those bowls, taking out some gyoza in the process.

Sometimes I wondered what the Amori brothers really thought about Minoru - what they really thought about me. Strange, little me who hid under the floorboards of our rundown house with my teddy bear who needed to eat and sleep like an actual living thing. They had never asked, just stared, poked at Minoru when they had finally been able to tell that he wasn't just an inanimate object.

"We should go to the testing ground," I yawned, stretching out on Minoru's back. _You don't mind me staying on you for most of the test? _I whispered to him, concerned that he was growing tired.

_It doesn't take any effort for me to float and you barely weigh a thing. _His eyes cut over to me. _Have you been eating enough?_

I grinned, patting at his ears. I was able to push us wherever we needed to go. Sometimes I thought that it was just Minoru understanding me before I could speak to him. But… he always seemed to be asleep. And it felt more like I was the one guiding us. Like all I had to do was concentrate a little and then we were being pushed toward where I wanted to go. Ma had taught me a little about how to use all that stuff around me to do little stuff like knock over cups… so maybe it was like that.

"You're always so eager to start," Amori sniffed, frowning at the now empty bowl in front of him.

"They're all just gonna be sitting there for a couple more hours," Imori said. "That's what they do - yell at us to go faster and then shove us in a room to sit and stare at all the people that we're gonna have to stomp into the ground later on."

"You know how bored I get," Umori whined, tugging his cap more snuggly around his ears. The brothers hadn't changed much since I last saw them. They all still wore the same colors with jeans and different hats. In fact, neither had I. I still had that beat up red beanie, the sides so frayed that it constantly slumped over my ears, flaring out with the wild mess of blonde curls that pushed against it. My bangs were cut ragged and my hoodie was dusty and went down to nearly my knees. We were all street kids and our clothes showed it, the only expense spared by Amori who got us all new sneakers before we came here.

My eyes moved to the slim triangles tattooed just below my brothers' eyes, my fingers instinctively coming up to touch my own. _A promise_, they had said. _One of us is going to make it this year. _That scared me. That meant that they were open to the option of being separated. My brother's were never without each other. That left me.

No. I would quit before that ever happened. I hadn't even wanted to be dragged along in the first place.

"Come on, squirt," Amori said, ruffling the already wild curls and disrupting my hat.

_You'll have to act like a stuffed animal, _I warned Minoru, hopping off of him so that I could help him squeeze through the door.

_That's not very different from what I usually have to do._

* * *

"You were right," I grouched, scooting higher on Minoru so that I could lean over his shoulder. It wasn't worth it to sit on the dirty ground. And coming in with a giant bear had already drawn a lot of attention to me.

"I told you," Umori sighed, sinking his hands farther into his pockets.

"You never listen to us," Imori sighed, glancing around.

They had all been here before. I on the other hand…

"Was last year this lame?" We had been shoved into a back room of one of the nearby restaurants by our examiner, who gave a merry wave as the door slid shut behind us before the whole room began to rumble and we were lowered to a base floor where one wall had slid open.

The tunnel that we had walked into was high ceilinged with flickering lights and pipes snaking along the brick walls. Packed dirt made the whole place smell like worms. I sniffed. Worms and _boy_. Over half of the contestants were male, leaving very few females to even see. _Disappointing_.

"Nah, last year was worse," Amori grumbled, his eyes sweeping the room before he gave a groan and settled against a nearby wall.

"I'm gonna go look around," I sighed, glancing at the entrance as another three contestants entered. They all seemed kind of young but then again there were few people here older than 30.

"Just keep close, sis," Imori muttered, his mouth thinning. "There's a lot of shady people here."

"Don't you guys make that list?" All I got was an unamused half laugh and a shove. Grabbing Minoru's arm, I stalked around, dragging him with me. He had fallen asleep a while ago when he realized that there wasn't going to be anything happening other than some awkward staring and muttered greetings that translated roughly to: hello. How tough are you? Either way, I'm gonna claw out your eyes if the examiners ask me to.

"Hey there!" a cheery voice bellowed from just behind me, I turned slightly glancing up at the portly figure of number 16. He had a rounded gourd of a nose and his tawny hair was slicked back in a manner that belied the overall nastiness of his personality. I glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of my brothers, smirks playing across all of their faces. They had told me about Tonpa, a man so beaten down by the exams that he got a hard-on from decimating all the new kids.

Amori dragged his hand across his throat, grinning.

"You look new!" Tonpa grinned. "I know that my first time taking the exam was pretty rough."

"I've heard that the 34 other times weren't that great either," I said blandly, sighing as his eyes widened and a flash of that inner nastiness scrunched his face. "My brothers have already warned me about your schtick so you might as well go pick on someone else." My eyes drifted to the three people who had just entered - all of them looking rather young minus the lanky guy in the suit with the briefcase. He looked like he was ready to sell me a house. "Them maybe?"

Something about that trio kind of threw me off though. I stared at the smallest one, his hair shocking up from his skull like he had his finger in an outlet, the whole mass a blackish green that actually looked kind of nice. His clothes were also set in forest green, making him look like he was about to be going on a hike with his family instead of participating in the hunter exam. His eyes were the thing that really caught my gaze - wide and trusting, willing to innocently take in the world.

I frowned. Kids like that got smacked in the face pretty hard when the rough decisions had to be made.

"You're kind of a brat, aren't you?" Tonpa asked, a muscle beside his lips twitching as his irritation grew.

I shrugged. "I'm just not up for your stupid, little games. If you wanted to fuck around with some people, at least choose the ones that aren't going to fuck around back. I would think that 30 plus years of failing would have gotten that through to you."

His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed down, his hands clenching.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," I warned, sensing my brothers tensing just beyond his back. We had begun to draw a few concerned glances from the people around us. I looked like a little girl - blonde hair, blue eyes, the whole teddy bear gig - and he looked like a pervy old guy trying to push me around. I smiled, my hand tightening on Minoru. "My brothers are about ten seconds away from coming over here and beating the shit out of you. You wouldn't want to have to drop out just before all the fun started right? Then you would have to wait a whole 'nother year to come back."

His beady eyes narrowed, his mouth twisting down in an ugly smile. Without that salesman exterior, he really was just a wretched creature, coming back here every year with no hope of passing just a drive to ruin it for others. People like him pissed me off. They didn't want a fair fight with a strong opponent. They wanted you to wither and die before you even had the chance.

"Brats like you can't even make it to the final test," Tonpa hissed. "I've seen it year after year. Little girls who hide behind guys to get farther in the competition until eventually, they can't hide anymore. They're weak and useless."

He was trying to get me mad. I stared up at him. He was trying to push me off my game so I made a mistake. I had made an enemy, I realized, a little bit shocked. I hadn't even meant to. Damn. Now he was going to be picking at me all exam. That could get annoying. I sighed, suddenly growing tired.

"Then I guess I'll see you next year," I said, shrugging as I moved to climb onto Minoru's back. I stared down at Tonpa's startled face, his mouth slightly open as we rose steadily towards the ceiling, Minoru still snoring beneath me. "Have fun in the exam, Mister 35."

"Hey! That's not my number!" he snarled from below. Behind him, my brothers crowed out a laugh. Minoru and I drifted higher, settling on one of the bigger pipes so that we wouldn't have to float for as long. I scooted up, peering down at all the applicants below. The little bean man who had given me a badge was making his way deeper into the crowd, answering a series of questions that I imaged went along the lines of: hey, I've been here for an hour. When are we starting? Or hey, I'm tired and hungry. When are we starting?

_You shouldn't antagonize people, Morie,_ Minoru scolded, making me groan. What was I supposed to do when he came up to me? Let him push me around?

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" I whipped around, sitting up quickly. Quickly my eyes scanned over the crowd. They weren't very hard to find - the sea of people below had parted to circle around a lone man with a shock of wavy red hair, his face was drawn in cruel disdain, his butterscotch eyes narrowed. He had an angular face, his frame lean but corded tightly with muscles, his biceps bulging as he crossed them over his chest. The expression on his face bellied the languid way he stood.

At his feet, a man knelt, screaming as his arms dissolved into red flowers, spraying the ground in a sea of crimson. Beneath me, Minoru drew in a sharp breath. In the crowd, I could see my brothers drawing back, their faces sweaty and pale. Amori looked around almost frantically, his eyes searching the ceiling for where I hid.

"What's that feeling?" I murmured, leaning farther out over the pipe to get a better look at the scarlet haired man. He was handsome, I realized. Deceptively handsome. But more than that - I shivered, my curiosity spiking. He was powerful.

_Bloodlust,_ Minoru growled from beneath me, rolling into a sitting position so I had to cling onto his neck to keep on his back. I scrambled up onto his shoulders, not liking that my line of vision was compromised.

"Bloodlust? I don't understand," I breathed, feeling something press against me, wave after wave like a breeze that kept pushing against my skin. This was odd. This was new.

"My. How unusual," the scarlet haired man drawled. "Seems this poor man's arms have turned into flower petals." His arms flared out into an open shrug and that wave hit me again, harder this time. My skin itched, prickling and something inside of me gave a roar of recognition. "Now you see them, now you don't."

I couldn't stand it anymore. I scrambled down from Minoru, ignoring his protests. I needed to be closer. I needed to find out what this was. What he was doing. I hit the ground hard, a few of the men startling around me as the ground splintered a bit beneath me. I was too excited. Ma said when I was excited bad things happened but I couldn't help myself. This was _new_. This was _interesting_.

_MORIE, WAIT! _Minoru's voice boomed in my head but I was already pushing through the crowd, digging my way forward until I broke the circle, stopping right in front of the kneeling man who was sobbing by now. How had that happened? I stared down at the clump of glittering, red petals that were swirling softly in the wind of a tunnel.

From down here I could feel it more strongly. Standing right here, I knew for certain that it was coming from him - the scarlet haired man. And there it was, like a wave was crouching over me, pressing up against that barrier that Ma had taught me about. I wanted to respond. I wanted to push back. Could I do that? Could I actually use that liquid that had always seemed to float around me to push and pull?

My eyes stayed glued to the handsome man, flinching a little as his eyes slowly drifted around, settling on me for a second and narrowing before he was turning and walking slowly to one of the far walls. People parted before him like the sea. Without thinking, I followed, catching bits and pieces of conversation as I ducked around bodies, catching a flare of red which I followed. His name was Hisoka and last year he had maimed an examiner. He was still giving off those waves of - what had Minoru called it? Bloodlust. I could feel it. I paused, stopping as I finally realized what I was doing.

Bloodlust, my mind hissed. That meant he wanted to kill something. That meant that that guy with petals for arms was just the appetizer. And I was chasing after him. I mentally slapped myself. That was foolish. That was suicidal. Gritting my teeth, I shook off those strands of aura that I could still feel curling around me, grappling a bit with my own.

"A little mouse got lost." Strong arms curled under my armpits, lifting my swiftly into the air with such ease that for a moment all I could do was blink down into those striking honey eyes. "What are you doing so far from home?"

Terror. It startled me as I stared at the smirking face below me, the sharp tips of his fingernails cutting easily through the sleeves of my hoodie. Uselessly, my legs dangled above the ground. I had never felt terror before and for a moment I was so confused that I didn't say anything. There was that press again, the push of something against me that seemed to almost cajole the sides of my aura, tickling and pinching in a teasing way that seemed to hide a more aggressive agenda. He could kill me, I realized. He could have killed me before this moment too.

"What are you doing?" I blurted out, blinking at him as his smile slipped for a moment, those eyes of his widening before he was staring at me with that cruel kind of interest. I cocked my head to the side, feeling him probe at my barriers again. I knew that it was him - I didn't know why or how yet but I just knew. "You're pushing against me but…"

My brows furrowed. I didn't know the right words to try and question him.

Slowly, his eyes glinting warmly up at me, his tongue licked across his lips, his hands tightening on me. "Well aren't you an interesting little snack."

That sounded like a threat. I glared. I didn't like threats. Hissing, I shoved back against the waves of energy that he was sending my way.

His smile turned cruel, the muscles in his arms bulging as he drew me near enough that I could feel the warm blow his words against my face. "Ah, ah, ah, pet. Just because we're playing nice right now doesn't mean I can't tear out your heart any time I wanted to."

I stilled, my heart sinking even as I kept my face blank. He liked for people to be afraid of him. He got enjoyment from it. If he was going to kill me, he was at least going to be unsatisfied by it. Slowly, I felt his aura curl around me, rubbing against mine almost… affectionately? My brows furrowed. That seemed wrong. Nothing about this man seemed affectionate.

"You really don't know what you're doing," he mused, his eyes critical and alight with interest as they ran over me. Slowly, he moved me closer, one arm coming to curl around my waist firmly as the other moved my head with an almost gentle hold on my chin. My front pressed tightly to his chest, the hard line of his muscled chest pressing along mine. He was muscular in a way that made me think that he would be very beautiful when he fought.

"MORIE!" Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my brothers burst from the line of associates who milled about, all unwilling to get involved with a man who had just torn off a guys arms. I couldn't entirely blame them for not taking my lead since I was regretting it very much right now.

I could feel the anxiety pulsing from my brothers, their faces covered in sweat and waxy as they gathered the full scene. And how deeply I had buried myself in shit. Mironu was shortly behind them and I assumed that he had rushed to get them when I had been rushing off in my little suicide attempt.

"Friends?" Hisoka mused, that smile growing into a near grin as his eyes tipped over to stare at them.

"Brothers," I clarified. Lazily, he turned back to me, the fingers hold my face pressing down a little more until I could feel the pricks of his nails.

_Morie, I'm about to- _Minoru warned and I could hear the shuffle of his feet as he moved forward. A few of the other contestants definitely saw him move.

_Don't, _I warned, trying to keep my expression smooth so that Hisoka wouldn't see it. _If you move, he'll kill me._

"Hmmm," his eyes slid to them once more before they closed and he was grinning down at me. "Should I kill them?"

Behind me, I heard the sharp intake of my brothers.

I didn't answer. Was that really a question? He wanted something. If he had wanted to kill them he would have already. I stared up at him, waiting.

His golden gaze burned into me. "Joking. Just joking, little pet." Slowly, he set me down, deliberately let me rub along his front, his hand still lightly on my waist. I didn't move. Did backing away mean that I admitted defeat? Did it mean that I was weak? I scowled. I had never considered myself to be weak before. The pool in Belcher's Bay was small and there were few people up to fighting my brothers and I.

"Run along then," Hisoka chirped, smirking down at me as he gently turned me and patted my lower back to get me moving towards my brothers. "I'm sure we'll have more time to play later."

My grimace deepened as I moved towards Amori and the others, Imori's hand reaching out and yanking me further into the crowd as we made our way all the way to the other side of the tunnel.

"Now you've done it-" Umori panted, a bit of sweat dribbling down his neck. I settled against the wall, highly agitated from the whole meeting. Maybe I was weak. I snarled.

"What were you thinking?" Imori gasped.

"That's the point - she wasn't thinking!" Amori growled, slamming a fist into the walls of the tunnel and sending a spray of dirt into the air.

There was a moment of silence that followed that where I stared blankly out at the sea of applicants before me.

_He had something-something that pushed against me_, I finally murmured to Minoru, feeling his steady gaze. _The thing that Ma was teaching me how to hide - he had it. He would have found me eventually. I don't think he's really here for the hunter exam._

_What's he here for then?_ My eyes caught on a silver-haired boy, his face a mask of cocky indifference.

_The applicants, _I finally answered back.

"I have it under control," I told my brothers, not meeting their gaze.

"That didn't look like you had it under control," Amori snarled, his face going red.

Beside him, Imori opened his mouth the chime in, his eyes glinting angrily. But before he could say anything a loud alarm rang through the tunnel and the cut off a section that we had been trapped slowly rose with a great belch of dirt and rubble. Behind it, with a small, green head held on a string stood a violet-haired man in a suit.

"Sorry to keep you waiting for so long," a dapper voice declared, the man's lilac mustache moving as he spoke. "Now, we have come to the end of the exam registration. And so the hunter exam begins now!"

* * *

_Thank you to the people that follow/ favorited last chapter and a big thank you to the person who reviewed! It's always pretty rough the first chapter or so I really appreciate the support._


	3. Chapter 3

They were running. I blinked, sighing. Well, I guess _we _were _technically_ running too.

"SHE'S CHEATING!" I stared down at the group of applicants, all of them sweating and panting with exhaustion. They looked like they were right between passing out and rioting as they caught sight of us keeping a steady pace with the lead. I resisted the urge to flop back on Minoru's back and stare at the passing lights of the tunnel, watching them blur by until I fell asleep. I yawned, crossing my legs and turning so that I could face the group of stampeding examiness just behind us.

_How long do you think it's been? _My eyes drifted over the mass of examinees that were slowly beginning to thin out. I leaned to the side, seeing around the initial swell of people to the lumps of people that were crumpling to the tunnel floor.

_Eh… I don't know… 40 kilometers? _Minoru asked and I frowned as I caught the hitch in his voice. The only reason that I wasn't able to stay safely above the other contestants and in the shadows and pipes that ran above the tunnel walls was because _someone_ was dragging us down. And the only reason that we hadn't stayed farther back so that we wouldn't be as obvious was because _someone_ kept pulling us back like we were their favorite yo-yo toy.

I grunted as another tug made Minoru shudder. It was like an invisible hand was yanking us down to the floor. I turned my eyes to the side, catching Hisoka's smirking face just behind me, running alongside another contestant with a clean, bald head, a red scarf securely around his neck. Briefly, his eyes cracked open to stare at me and then closed again as I felt another tug.

My brothers had gone through this test too many times to not know that there would be a stamina test and they had trained me accordingly. In fact, this part bored them so much that they were currently at the back of the pack, getting some money from Tonpa for picking on some newbie.

The only thing that had kept me from joining in with the rest of the grunts on the ground was simple pride and the knowledge that this was just the first step in a very long, very rigorous process. I didn't know when we would get rest next and Minoru and I used little to no energy when flying.

"EXAMINER! IS THAT ALLOWED? THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE ALLOWED!" I rolled my eyes at the obviously drained guy, his little bit of energy quickly leaving him as we got farther and farther into the run without a break or end in sight.

"Maybe you should have brought something other than an extra pair of underwear if you wanted to pass this exam," I said, watching him fall farther and farther back into the mass of people. My brothers weren't completely useless, I realized as they quickly zagged their way through the mass of candidates to the front. They wanted to become hunters more than anything and sometimes they would have me train all day - running for 20 hours straight. Easy stuff.

"The use of all weapons, abilities, and means is permitted in the Hunter's Exam," the violet-haired examinee said blandly although his eyes flicked to me in a way that made me think that this rule wasn't altogether pleasant for him.

Well, I'm sure that he could bring that complaint up to someone with a bit of a higher clearance level if he wanted it to change.

I sighed as that annoying sensation of being pinched and then yanked on caught me again, my eyes snapping to Hisoka. It looked like he wanted me to run.

_I can keep going, _Minoru said but I could hear that he was growing anxious with all the jerking. It took energy to fight against such a consistently powerful force.

_Fall to the back and keep to the shadows, _I sighed, standing and stretching a bit to the jeers and snorts of a couple of the contestants that could see me. Beside me, the examiner's eyes turned a bit, his brows raising a little. _Even if he runs for another day I'll make it._

My eyes sought out Hisoka as I jumped down to the dirt tunnel floor, springing forward so that I wasn't swallowed up by the other contestants. The scarlet-haired man didn't say anything just continued to jog along like he was taking a walk in the park. He wasn't sweating at all - which made me think that he was used to a setting that was more constrained to get him to break out. In fact, I realized that if he wanted to, I was almost positive that he could pass even the instructor.

Minoru raised easily into the air, disappearing in the shadows just above the tunnel lights. Once and a while, I would catch the bloody, sparking flash of the swirls that adorned his natural blue hue. Just as I thought, Hisoka let him be as long as he wasn't with me.

"Finally came down to the peasants, sweetheart?" I didn't look up at the gruff voice of the contestant to my right - #3?

"Man, she's a cute thing too," another guy to my left said and I felt the mounting urge to draw out the daggers strapped to my forearms - maybe choke them a little with the silky wire that I used like strings attached to the launching device at my elbows.

"Hey, when you get kicked out I have a place in town - we could meet up after I get through." Okay. They were really starting to irritate me.

My brothers were a little too far back to hear the two of them, probably still counting the money that Tonpa had given them. My eyes stayed on the smooth, pressed lines of Examiner Satotz's dress jacket. I could feel Hisoka's attention on me almost completely, pressing hotly to the side of my face. And for a moment I felt that aura of his rear back like he was ready to chomp down on the two men nearest to me.

I had had to deal with guys like these two since I was little. My 19 years on this earth had given me a rather wide view of the male species. Most were led by their genitals and if you didn't respond to them in an appropriate amount of time-

I slid to a crouch, spinning so that my ankle could catch on the foot of the man to my right, whirling quickly so that I caught the one on my left in short succession before the hand that was aimed at my ass could make contact. I jumped up as they slammed to the ground with a series of yelps, quickly catching back up to where I had been at the front of the group.

Blankly, I pulled out the wallets that I had snatched from their pockets as they had fallen. My brother's usually ambushed the small fish in our town and got them through brute force while I was a little more nimble. It took me years of working in the streets to get quick enough to snatch from all the rich folks in town. And a few more years to be able to run fast and far enough away from the goons that guarded them.

Swiftly, I peeked through their stuff as we jogged along, the lights low enough that I had to squint down at the cards and coins that were shoved into an odd pocket or pouch. Eh. A fair amount. It was traveling money so they had pulled a decent bit from their savings. I tossed the rest over my shoulder, pocketing the coins.

My eyes drifted to the man to my right, a smallish boy with a shock of carrot hair pulled under a purplish wrap, a bow slung across his back. #53 his badge proclaimed proudly. He was staring at me like I was some kind of odd creature that he had found in his closet. I shrugged, picking up my pace again so that I could move to the farther edge of the run. I was fresher than the rest of them so it was easy enough to keep up with Satotz. If I had been running from the beginning, I probably would have had a rougher time keeping up with his relentless drive forward.

"You're not as fast as I thought you'd be," a mockingly disappointed voice interrupts my thoughts.

"My brother's don't like me talking to strangers - sorry," I say, resisting the overwhelming urge to scurry as far away as possible. Or… there's still something there. Something that also yanks me closer. Which is distressing. I eye him sidelong, catching the surprised tip of his lips and I can't resist the words that come tumbling from my lips. "Especially creepy, sociopathic murderers."

For a moment, the panted breaths of the contestants around them, the chatter from the shinobi-esque baldie just to their left, the grating stomp of a million feet vying for the same destination, all fades away. There's only the silence, the startled widening of Hisoka's eyes.

And then the crushing suffocation of his aura slamming into me.

I grit my teeth, stumbling slightly as the cadence of my steady jog is interrupted. Wincing, I struggle back against him, even as I feel that same aura gently caress along my side, tickling and teasing. And then wrapping completely around me as if he wants to crush me. As if he wants to trap me - toy with me before he breaks me.

Up above, I feel Minoru take notice, pausing in his drive forward to coast back to the general area that I was in.

"Ah, keep that face." I glared over at the tall, striking man beside me, his eyes alight with pleasure and his smile lewd. "You really are quite lovely - and almost just right to be eaten up."

I tried not to show my shock and confusion. Eaten up? _He's here for the applicants, _I had told Minoru. And unfortunately, I had drawn his attention by letting my fascination take hold and stalking after him. Beneath me, I felt our footing change. We were going upwards now and it was more like hops instead of straight running.

"I've been told that I don't taste that great," I choked out and to my utter relief, some of that pressure drew back, Hisoka's aura drawing back as he grins at me with shocked amusement. Testing, I change my pace, speeding up and veering a bit to the left. He follows without blinking. "You're strong."

His eyes narrow. "I've been told…"

"You can pass easily," I said, remembering the earlier story of his attempted murder of one of the examiners. Hisoka shrugged. "Why worry about a small fry like me? I'm not interesting at all."

His eyes crinkle up with genuine amusement. "In this case, my pet I think you'll want to remain interesting." His smile turned cruel and cold. "Otherwise, I'm also quite fond of breaking my toys when I'm no longer amused."

A chill ran up my spine, followed by the sensation that I would have to deal with Hisoka for a lot longer than this first test. Forcing down my growing panic, I smiled. "I'm sure you'll have to catch me first," I said, closing my eyes in a daring smile that mimicked something other than the crushing urge I had to turn and flee. "I've heard that little mice are able to fit in very small places. Easy to get away."

His voice was smooth and deep when he replied. "Then I suppose I'll have to keep you close." When I finally opened my eyes, I was greeted with the same close-eyed smile. "I wouldn't want you to get lost."

My smile dropped into a frown, my brows furrowing as I gave his aura an involuntary shove which he latched onto, grappling playfully.

"Morie!" I glanced back, catching sight of my brother's anxious faces. Amori mouthed a series of curses that roughly translated to: you are making this exam super hard for us for no reason. I regret every decision and choice that I ever made that brought me to this point in my life. Please stop talking with someone who wants to kill everyone?

"Want me to kill them?" Hisoka purred, a series of cards appearing in his hand as he grinned down at me.

"Please don't," I breathed, sensing very little bloodlust in his aura - just the teasing push that shadowed his obvious aggression.

He gave a quiet chuckle, his eyes moving to just ahead of us. "We're almost there."

I glanced ahead as well, surprised that we had made our way into a long staircase, the foggy light of day seen just a few flights ahead of us. I hadn't even noticed that we had begun climbing.

"I'll be watching~" Hisoka said softly, his hand reaching out before I could do more than give a threatening hiss. One of those long nails ran across my cheek, leaving a red streak of blood and a warning… And perhaps even a bit of a promise.


	4. Chapter 4

Milsey Wetlands. Nicknamed "Swindlers Swamp."

I stared around at the thickening fog, the milkiness all but obscuring any legitimate path. I can't even see my shoes in the dense substance, the only thing visible is the tops of the trees.

I turned, catching the wisps of motion, the ruffle of clothing. Distantly, there was the call of a bird, the wild screech of something wanting to snap up some dinner.

"We're lost," I murmured, wiping away some of the dew that was gathering at my nape. Beside me, Minoru hovered, his massive size making him tower a couple of inches above.

_Eeeeehhhh, _Minoru whined, glancing around before he turned to glare down at me. _Why are you so bad at directions?!_

I glared up at him, my cheeks reddening. "Why would we go through a _forest of deception_ without at least a map?"

_Would it kill you to follow orders just this once? _Minoru seethed, crossing his arms. _All we had to do was follow the lead!_

My hands clenched as I gritted my teeth. "This isn't some follow-the-leader baby bullshit! I came here to actually compete-"

_Well, now we're lost and the only people who are going to compete are your stupid brothers!_

I let out an agitated scream, clawing at my hair. That scream was quickly replicated by a ruse raven just a couple of feet away. A moment of silence passed between us, one where the shuffling of trees and unknown animals danced around us.

"Tch," I hissed out, turning fully to Minoru who had gotten on all fours now, his nose stuck firmly to the ground. "It's been too little time for you to have picked up the scents of anyone else."

Minoru's nose was very sensitive like most animals however it took a decent amount of time for him to be able to track someone by scent alone. And considering the place that we were currently in, our sense of hearing couldn't be trusted to lead us.

_Let's hope that your brother's are still following the examiner than, _Minoru said, his eyes glinting up at me. We both knew that that was a very unlikely situation.

I ignored the sinking feeling of failure, walking slowly beside him as he sniffed at the trees and dirt. When we had realized our error, we had immediately stopped running so in all actuality we should only be a few feet from the main path.

"Will you be able to keep the scent while we run?"

_There are three of them and they still smell like our last meal - it'll be easy enough._

We took off at a sprint, dodging through underbrush and around the treeline. The fog was making it impossible to see five feet ahead and that alone put me on edge. Beside me, Minoru kept his head bent to the ground, his breath huffing out of him in irritated snorts. He had to keep to the ground to allow him to keep the trail which was something he was unused to. Like any other bear, his stride was massive and shook the ground every time he bound forward.

The air was dense as I sucked in breath after breath, letting my legs pump faster and faster as Minoru took turns at a jarring pace. His one step ate up five of mine, making me work overtime to keep up and soon I was contemplating taking off my now drenched hoodie for the tank top and shorts just beneath. My legs burned, my knees giving an ache as we jogged down a hill.

Unwanted, we stopped just beyond a grove, the sound of my harsh breath bursting through the air.

_Hisoka's here,_ Minoru said and I immediately dove into a crouch, glancing around cautiously. Just before our run we had had the pleasure of watching him hurl playing cards at the examiner and one of the local man-faced apes. It had been in pursuit of a good reason however the thought of possibly being stuck in the swamps without an examiner because Hisoka had decided to skewer him made it less amusing.

Not to mention that one of the reasons that we had gotten lost in the first place was because Minoru didn't want to be around him on the run. Apparently there was a bit too much trouble with even being in the presence of the scarlet haired man.

I stared at Minoru, his head raised in a tense alertness that I fully recognized. "How could you possibly know that he's near? You didn't catch a good enough whiff of-"

And then I felt it. Bloodlust so strong that it nearly knocked me over. I winced, my stomach rolling with neasia. Was this all coming from one person? Minoru's face pinched up, his stitched mouth pulling down in a deep grimace.

"Which way are my brothers?" I gritted out, watching Minoru's paw raise in a general fog-coated direction. "What about Hisoka?" His paw raised again. The same direction just a little to the right. I snarled. There was no way that we were going to be able to make it out without following my brothers' scents.

"Oh that's just fucking fantastic," I hissed out, throwing up my hands. Tugging down my beanie so that all I could see was darkness, I thought over our options. We could try to hide ourselves and skirt around him. I bit my lip. But that wouldn't work. He had some sort of ability that allowed him to detect us. Like Minoru. And I wasn't completely sure how exactly he was able to sense us. Those hide and go seek games that my mother and I had played so long ago wouldn't help me now.

"Do you think he's distracted enough to get around him?" I breathed.

Minoru sniffed at the air, raising up on his haunches. _Smells like fresh blood. I would say that he just got done killing a whole group. And… he's still on the hunt… Has to mean that there are more._

A small chance but one that we needed to take. I took a breath. The fog gave us an advantage. We could use it to get away. Even if he had an ability to track us, there was a good chance that we could move fast enough to get around him and to the examiner before he could kill us.

"We'll take our chances," I said, tugging my beanie back and checking that the daggers against my forearms were still secure and that the cord and launching device were working. If it came to a fight, I wasn't going to be helpless. My eyes moved to Minoru's eyes, his face tense. "You ready?"

Silently, he nodded and we took the hill at a run, Minoru's snout stuck to the ground. We didn't try to conceal our presence - it would slow us down too much when what we really wanted was to get around Hisoka as quick as possible. In times like these, it was one or the other. We couldn't choose both stealth and speed. We weren't nearly that skilled.

There was a small clearing just up ahead, bordered by trees and deep, dense brush. And at it's center was Hisoka, his smile smug as a lean figure lay at his feet - one of the other contestants - the one who I had thought looked like a real estate agent. How in the world had he come into contact with Hisoka?

I kept charging, not breaking speed even as the scarlet-haired man turned, his eyes lighting up as he caught sight of me.

_Keep running! _Minoru ordered, his paws digging at the ground, kicking up gravel and leaves as he stormed through the clearing. The lean man's chest moved, drawing in a breath. I gulped down a wild breath. He was still alive. Where were his friends? How had he gotten separated-?

A red bob flew through the air, whizzing around the clearing in a desperate attempt to hit Hisoka. The momentary attention that he had given me was pulled to the edge of the clearing.

I let out another ragged breath, my arms pumping faster as the small figure of a boy, panting and shaking caught my eyes. The little boy in green. The one who smiled so much.

_Minoru, the boy! _I cried out, watching with mounting horror as Hisoka advanced on him, his face pulled into that sly smile.

_Don't you dare- _But I was already turning, my dagger snapping out, a deep fear pumping through me. Hisoka would tear him apart. He was so young. So _vulnerable_.

My dagger flew before I could think, my wrist flicking so that it wrapped tightly around Hisoka's hand. Bad idea. I gritted my teeth, watching as the scarlet-haired man's brows went up. Too late to rethink. I yanked, turning fully so that I could use all of my force to haul it back, dragging him with me.

For a moment, I felt it working. My muscles burned as I felt him stumble at the end of my line, a hiss of breath escaping him before… nothing.

THUNK. I winced, staring dumbly at the tree just behind me, the dagger that I had thrown now embedded into the wood. My cord hissed as it retracted back into the spool that I had. For one brief moment, I caught Minoru's wide stare, his eyes asking me what I had done. Why I had done it. What this meant for the life that I really wanted to continue past this day.

"I didn't think you would play with me."

One second later and I would have had his hand around my throat. Sweat dribbled down my throat, my back arching as I flipped back and then tripped some of the silvery cord that was still attached to both my arm and the dagger embedded in the tree. Hissing, I yanked against it still crouched in the dirt as Hisoka loomed above me, those golden eyes glinting in the foggy light.

I was trapped, tied to a tree like an animal. Snarling, I slid back to the base of the tree, the cord at my arm tightening even more.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The green-haired boy screamed, that little pole of his gripped tightly in his hands and Hisoka's eyes slid to him. And the most frightening thing was that there was interest there - the same type of interest that I had seen reflected up at me as he had held me before. On the ground just a few feet away, the retail agent struggled to his knees.

But they were just a bit too far away. I gulped, trying not to shake as Hisoka leaned down, his breath tickling my face. He was going to kill me.

A snarl broke through the clearing followed by the snapping of branches and brush as Minoru barreled into the clearing, a roar ripping from his throat. I could feel his white hot rage pounding through him. The same rage that I would have had. And the same desperate fear.

"Ah, I forgot," Hisoka mused softly, dancing out of the way as Minoru's paw took a wild swipe at his side. They swept through the clearing, one diving forward with powerful sweeps that ended up knocking the green-haired boy back and the other with light steps. As they roamed about, a sick dawning took hold of me.

Hisoka was playing with Minoru. Playing until he got tired.

"STOP!" I screamed, tugging futilely at my dagger, the blade sunk all the way to the hilt within the oak. A growl pierced the air followed by a whimper. Hisoka had dodged around another barreling run, kicking at Minoru's flank. "PLEASE!"

Desperately, I yanked up my sleeve, tearing at the contraption on my arm until it finally gave way sending me sprawling to the floor. Minoru lay just a foot away from me, his eyes dazed as he blinked up at the foggy canopy of trees. No blood. Just dazed.

The relief was short lived as I caught the familiar sweet scent mixed with the tang of iron and ink.

"Did you turn around to save the boy?" Hot breath tickled the hair at my ear, making me freeze for a moment before I rolled away, panting. Just across the clearing, the green-haired boy was struggling to a sitting position. "Surprising. I thought you would save yourself."

I rolled, sending my foot out to connect with his face and only finding air. How did he do that? I stumbled into a crouch, blinking around through the errant curls that stuck to my face in sweaty clumps. This wasn't good. He was everywhere.

And nowhere at the same time.

How did you fight a shadow? The fog?

It was like everything in this forest wanted to hide him.

I whirled, bringing my leg out again to try and hit a leg as I saw the cotton of his legs, his curled shoes. But no. That was the fog. It dissolved as soon as I connected. It made me feel small. Small and slow.

"You should probably get out of here, green bean!" I called out, my hands digging into the grass and dirt at my feet. Sweat trickled down my throat, chilled by the dewy air. Wildly, I tried to catch glimpses of him as he moved around the clearing. One moment he was just there - within the reach of my legs or hands but then the next he was behind me, smiling. Always smiling. "Take the old guy with you!"

"That's very heroic." I choked out a breath as a kick landed to my leg, sending a spike of pain bursting up my shin. I had gotten too close to catching him and he had quickly reprimanded me. Shaking, I yanked my leg back under me, my other dagger clenched tightly in my hand. His eyes were luminous as he crouched in front of me. "Why?"

"We're not leaving you!" came a cry from across the clearing and I resisted the urge to look and see where the little boy was.

Unblinking, I stared into Hisoka's golden gaze, trapped. For once, I saw the tip of his smile wilt a bit.

Unwanted, my body moved of its own accord, my hand coming up to - what? Slap him? Feel the angular expanse of his jaw? Before I could touch him, his hand was wrapping around my wrist, strong and unforgiving, his face blank as he stared at me.

"I don't think you would understand even if I explained it to you," I whispered, feeling somehow sorry for the man in front of me.

"Don't hurt her!" Green bean's friend was up again, his steps unsteady as he dragged himself across the clearing.

A deep sigh broke from Hisoka as he suddenly stood, my hand still firmly clasped in his. "Calm down. You and your friend have passed."

He turned slightly, tugging me up with a grin. "I hope you both become good hunters." Hisoka's eyes turned back to me, his smirk firmly back in place. "You're going to be coming with me, little mouse. It would be a shame to miss the next test."

Before I could do more than give an indignant, "hey!" he had hoisted me up, tossing my effortlessly over his shoulder. Hisoka carried me around like a weighed nothing, the expanse of his shoulder wide enough to make me feel small. Clutching my beanie, I kicked at him.

"Let me down!" I screeched, pushing at his back so that I could see something other than his back. Minoru was still out cold, the old man and little kid just reaching him. "TAKE MINORU PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Shrill beeping pierced the air and Hisoka pulled a small, green walkie talkie from his pocket.

"Hisoka. You should get back to the team," a voice warbled out. "We're almost at the Second Phase Venue."

Dumbly, I stared at the blinking dot at the top left of the small screen. He had had someone on the inside this whole time. There had been no way that he would have gotten lost.

"Okay. I'll be right there," he said, turning calmly and walking easily from the clearing with me flailing on his shoulder.

"You can't take her!" That red bob came sailing over Hisoka's shoulder, nearly snagging my shirt. We were already too far away though. The fog had gobbled us up, leaving little to no trace that we had ever been there.

"You can find your way back?" Hisoka called cheerily and I gritted down on my tears, thrashing violently in his hold and getting a pinch right to the underside of my butt in return. "You should stop kicking now. Before I get angry."

"Well, you're making _me _angry!" I seethed, punching at his back. "What the hell is the deal? Let me down! I can find my way back on my own."

"Maybe so, maybe not," he said noncommittally and I bumped up with the force of his shrug. "Either way, I thought that this would be a better way to keep you close than to let you wander off and possibly get gobbled up by all those nasty monsters."

"Oh, I highly doubt that you're not ten times worse than any one of those monsters," I snarled, glaring at the pink material of his undershirt as I went limp. My kicking wasn't doing anything and all of that fighting had made me a bit tired. At least with Hisoka I knew what I was getting. And for some reason because of his blunt ways, I believed that he wouldn't kill me. Right now.

He would tell me before he chopped me up, watching with pleasure as I squealed.

There was silence as we made our way swiftly through the dense forest, fog making the walk seem eerily like swimming through milk.

"Who was that on the walkie talkie?" I finally asked. There were very few people that hadn't been giving Hisoka the side eye after he turned that guys arms into origami.

"Someone that you don't want to meet," he said simply and for the first time his smile was completely gone. There wasn't much more to be said after that.

Still, I tried.

"Why are you so fast?" I whispered, remembering how I had felt in that fog, punching out at air. "How did you become so strong?"

"You could say I'm a quick learner," he chuckled and I glared at his back. That wasn't really an answer. "Perhaps I'll teach you."

"That seems very charitable," I snipped, crossing my arms. "Very unlike you."

"Eeeehhhh. That's not very nice." I yelp as he pinches me again, resisting the urge to smack his back.

The fog is beginning to thin out and our path is becoming clearer and steeper. It would make sense that the forest would be like a sort of basin, collecting at the bottom, rolling down from the hills above. Minoru and I should have taken the risk of aerial predators and just flew to the testing ground. Then we could have avoided all this nonsense.

"You seem to rather like crouching." I stilled at the thoughtful words. "It's almost as if you're afraid to fight at the same level."

I flinched. I had tried to be a brawler like my brothers but - I winced, thinking about all the broken ribs and noses. One time one of the guards had caught me and broken both of my hands after he had seen me stealing from his client. I learned quick. Guys like that - all brawn - had little balance. If you got them low, you could trip them up.

I could almost feel Hisoka's eyes slip to me slyly. "You fight like you're more accustomed to running away than sticking through to the end."

"And you fight like you're getting ready to do the salsa," I snapped, blushing.

"Ah, just an observation, little Morie," he smiled innocently.

I stiffened. "How did you find out my name?"

"You're brothers said it," he threw out, nonchalantly.

My mind scrambled. Had they? When..? Oh. That first time when they had found me with Hisoka. I deflated a little bit. And now he was hauling me around like a sack of potatoes. Great.

"Ah, looks like we made it." I blinked, pushing up off of his back quickly to stare around at the clear surroundings.

We were still in the midst of a massive forest but the fog had cleared away, leaving a clear, bright day. Other contestants milled about in front of a massive gate, a brick wall going as far as the eye could see. Thick wooden doors stood tall, closed tightly against the forest beyond.

And right at the edge, looking anxious stood my brothers. Relief pumped through me, making me weak.

"I suggest that you not get lost again." Strong hands lifted me, setting me close enough to the ground that my toes could graze the dirt but not close enough for me to actually stand. Annoyed, I glared up at Hisoka, waiting. He smiled. "I don't like it when my toys go off and get themselves broken before I have the pleasure."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I said sardonically. What an arrogant -

He set me down completely, looking slightly bored.

"Oh and Morie?" I stopped, turning from my near dash to my brothers. His hands had slipped into his pockets. "Stay away from the nice man with the pins."

I blinked, confused until a distinct clicking reached my ears and one of the taller, scarier contestants walked forward. His face was pulled into a grotesque mask, every bone apparent through his purplish skin. Mustard pins poked from his face, down the entirety of his body. Hisoka's eyes closed in a sinister smile. "He likes to break things that aren't his."

In other words, he would kill me.

Hisoka didn't need to tell me twice. Giving a swift nod that seemed to delight the scarlet-haired man more than before, I turned tail and ran. Even though I was sure that Hisoka could tear through most of the people here, being with my brothers was a welcome comfort.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

I was beginning to think that they were dead. They had to be. How had I expected for the youngest kid to haul Minoru back to a destination that he didn't even know?

"You can't go back into the forest, Morie," Amori hissed at me, his eyes flicking around nervously before he grabbed onto my forearm. "You already made it to the third test. That means you're halfway through!"

"Even if it was all because of that creepy psycho," Umori whispered, his eyes drifting to the place where Hisoka sat quietly beneath the shade of an oak. A visible shiver racked his body and he quickly looked away.

Glaring, I tightened my dagger sheath, plucking at the sharp wire and making sure that everything was still firmly latched together. I would need it to get back into the forest and find them.

"I'm not going to risk Minoru's life just for some stupid job," I snapped, tugging down my sleeve and making my way purposefully down the winding road that led back to Milsey Swamp.

"This isn't just a job-" Amori hissed, walking quickly to keep up with me. Against the base of the oak, I saw Hisoka's head tip up, his eyes opening slightly to stare across the clearing at me.

I resisted the urge to give him the bird.

"This is a _life_," Umori supplied. Imori still snored at the base of the tree that we had been waiting at, his cap lying limply across his face.

"I had a life!" I spun on them, my face pinched with fury. "I was fine in Belcher's Bay! In fact, I _loved _it there. We were making good money. _I _was making good money-"

"Stealing," Amori chimed. Did I hear a bit of scorn in that word?

"Since when has stealing been a bad thing? You're the one who taught me." I glared up at both of them, my fists clenching.

Amori's usual cat-like gaze softened. "I want us to have a better life than that. Hunters have money. They're not treated like street rats."

He didn't get to do that. My mouth twisted, something angry withering inside of me. For a while, we had lived rough. Street kids aren't looked at like human beings in a town like Belcher's. We were less than. We smelled like all the days that we hadn't found a good stream to bathe in and we didn't know how to read or write like all the other kids. We were a detriment to society.

Why did he want to be accepted into such a depraved, cruel world? Why did it matter that the people in the streets didn't clutch their coin purses around us? Upstanding? What did that mean? Why did we need to be all of these fancy words? When had our life become not enough?

"If the hunter exam is the sort of test that means leaving the people that I care about behind than I don't want it," I whispered, turning swiftly away so I wouldn't have to see the hurt flash through his eyes.

"Morie, just hear me out-" A flash or green bobbed over the crest of one of the nearby hills.

"HEEEEYYYYYY~" A cheery voice hollered and I saw the little green bean boy jumping up and down as he bound along the trail. "WE GOT YOUR TEDDY BEAR, MISS!"

Was it relief that made my knees weak? No. I just was tired from the run, I told myself.

I crumpled, Amori's hands catching me swiftly as Umori quickly sprinted down the trail to help haul along Minoru as the lanky real estate agent tried to drag him along while keeping pace with the little kid.

_Don't look so defeated, Morie, _Minoru's voice whispered to me. _Your face gets all weird and red like a newborn baby._

A flash of blonde hair caught my eye, alerting me to the fact that a fourth person was running along with them. As they drew closer, I realized that it was a rather handsome boy with piercing blue eyes. No. Maybe handsome wasn't the right word. His face was delicate, almost doll-like making the first word that popped into my mind be _pretty_.

"He was really heavy." The green-haired boy was right in front of me now, his face pulled into an obnoxiously large smile.

"You weren't even the one who carried him!" The lanky guy was just behind him, his chest drenched in a thick layer of sweat. Why wasn't he wearing a shirt? I could see his suit jacket and undershirt tied off at his waist, a tie still hanging loosely around his neck. On his nose sat a pair of circular spectacles that I hadn't noticed before. Although he still looked like he was closer to brokering a deal of insurance than defeating any great foe in a battle, his arms were muscles and his chest was lean and toned. He held a wiry kind of strength that couldn't be fully discounted.

All three of them were unnervingly cheerful after the fiasco that had just occurred in the clearing just a few hours before. It made me think that perhaps viewing them as children was a miscalculation on my part.

"I owe you a debt," I finally said, gently extracting Minoru from where he clung onto the shirtless real estate agent. Amori took his other arm and Umori casually took over my hold, casting me a glance of warning. We were still in a competition, that look told me. Debts could only go so far when the promise of a hunter's license hung on the line.

Across the way, I could see that Imori had fully woken, his mouth tipped down as he stared hard at the group of men who were crowding around me. I had told my brothers what had happened to Minoru and I. With Hisoka all but carrying me to the finish line, it was hard to leave out any details. To say that they were uncomfortable was an understatement.

"Aw, it was nothin'," the little pipsqueak said, his hand rubbed over his neck. I stared at him for a moment.

"What are your names?" I finally asked.

"Ah, I'm Gon!" the little green bean exclaimed, looking overjoyed to be having this conversation. He pointed to the lanky man who was currently opening up his briefcase and getting out a roll of bandages. "That's Leorio." Gon pointed to the blonde who stood quietly beside him, taking me in with a cool sort of calculation. "And this is Kurapika. We have another friend but we got separated in the forest."

"What's your relationship to Hisoka?" the blonde haired boy cut in, his expression decidedly blank from everything other than a dog-like focus. I tipped my head to the side, analyzing him. He was strong. I would even go as far as to say that he was barely leashed. He held himself like he was trying to remain very still - like even the slightest wind would tip him in favor of… Hm. What, I wondered.

Just a bit away, I caught Hisoka's intense stare. I glared. Of course, the other contestants had noticed that we were almost constantly in each other's company. He had made sure that few people ignored him. Smirking, he gave a wave.

Ugh. I hated him.

"Our relationship is that we have no relationship," I finally said, shrugging. "I had never met him before this exam. For the moment, it seems like he's amusing himself since this exam is a bit below his skill level."

"Below his skills?" Kurapika gasped; the comment seemed to irritate him. "We were told that he came here last year and got kicked out."

I tipped my head to the side, examining the two in front of me. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Sure, he didn't make it through the exam last year but… I think that was a bigger example of his prowess than even his cavalier attitude this exam.

"Listen," I murmured. "For the moment, he's amusing himself with me. I would hate to come across him the day in this competition when he becomes bored." I thought of the way his eyes guttered whenever he spoke to me about it. "It seems to agitate him."

Both Gon and Kurapika's eyes widened, sweat collecting at their foreheads. I was guessing that the encounter in the clearing had given them a taste of what could happen with Hisoka wasn't happy.

"Gon!" I turned, a silver-haired boy, clutching a skateboard approaching with a friendly smile. His eyes were solely on Gon though, making me think that the best friend status had already been filled.

"Killua!" Gon replied happily, all of the clouds from our earlier conversation disappearing from his face. In a way, it put me at ease that they were like this with each other - it was hard being alone in this competition.

"I can't believe you actually found your way here," Killua said, grinning.

A low whistle drew my attention to where my brother's stood, their eyes hard as they eyed the small group that had gathered around me. In a competition like this one, groups that were too big drew attention. And my brother's and I already made that category.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Gon riffled around in his backpack, his face scrunching up until he pulled out the broken piece of my launching contraption. The metal had been ripped apart, a little bit of blood smeared over the sides. I glanced down at my fingers, surprised at the blood slowly dripping from my exposed nail bed and some skin that had been ripped open at my palm.

Startled, I took it from Gon's outstretched hands, his smile almost apologetic. "We couldn't get the dagger out but we were able to cut that wire..."

His eyes were wide and curious as they flicked from the metal pieces in my hands to my face. I stared at him, trying to determine if I should tell them all of what my weapon consisted of or leave it to their imagination.

"I appreciate your help," I finally said, avoiding their gazes and hating myself for being so cautious.

"Morie!" Amori screamed, drawing the attention of more people than just me.

"If you need anything, let me know," I repeated, swiftly turning and making my way to my brothers.

Golden eyes caught mine and for a moment I couldn't move a single step further. I stopped, holding his gaze. Was there amusement there? Maybe a bit of excitement? He said that he could teach me. But teach me what? My eyes narrowed, his smirk growing until I caught the flash of straight teeth. He liked to play around with me, watch me squirm on the line that he had set me on. And for some reason, I wasn't struggling against it as much as I should.

"Everyone, job well done," a jovial voice called out and I broke Hisoka's stare to turn towards the lavender-haired examiner. "The Vicsa Forest Reserve is the venue for the second phase. I'll take my leave now. I wish everyone the best of luck."

As he walked away, the massive doors that separated us from the inside of whatever hid behind the fenced off area creaked open. A lavish two story house sat just inside, the grounds just in front spotted with rows of combust stations laden with knives, a fire pit, and other kitchen utensils.

"Those who have passed the first phase, step inside." I hadn't noticed the petite woman who sat atop the steps that led to the massive house.

I had never been near someplace this nice. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I had tried to steal from the richer side of town once when I was younger. I grimaced, weaving through the mass of examinees that were pushing closer to the woman and her giant companion who stood just behind her. The problem with houses is that they're so big. People don't feel wary when they're walking along the streets but with places that big, rich folks got nervous. They hired more people to watch it, got dogs that would tear you to shreds. I had quickly found out that I was a much better pickpocket than cat burglar that night.

"Welcome!" the green haired woman called happily. "I'm the examiner for the Second Phase, Menchi."

"I'm the other examiner, Buhara," the robust man behind her said, grinning.

"Ah, man." I had finally navigated my way to my brother and Minoru. Tentatively, I took his paw, watching as his lowered head raised slightly. Amori stared moodily up at the green-haired woman, her hair knotted atop her head like she was some sort of exotic fruit instead of a person. "I was hoping they'd get rid of this stupid test."

Imori's face was pulled into a deep grimace, his hands tight. "This is gonna be a pain in the ass."

"If - If we just think of the best variation of ingredients-"

Amori hissed, snapping around to glare at our youngest brother. "What? We'll make her a fucking - What are they called? Ratatouille?"

"Fancy, rich people food," Imori groaned.

Curious, I hopped up and down, unable to see a single thing other than the back of people's shirts as they crowded around the raised steps.

"What is it?" I questioned, giving up and choosing instead to rely on my brothers for the answers.

Imori stared down at me, his face grim. "It's-"

"Here's how it'll be," Menchi called. I grimaced. At least, I could still hear her even if I couldn't see her. "The Second Phase test… will be cooking!"

The collection of groans and curses made me want to cover my ears.

_That doesn't sound so bad, _Minoru mused, glancing around in confusion.

"Hold on a second!" a weighty man who looked about ready to pound someone into the ground called. "Did you say cooking?! We're here to try out for the Hunter exams!"

_He done fucked up now,_ I grinned, catching Minoru's open eye roll. Why come to the hunter exam if you were going to complain about one of the tests? It seemed a little bit stupid to me. Menchi didn't entirely seem to be the kind of person who would just turn around and change her test just because some grown adult was whining.

"You heard correctly!" Menchi called cheerily. "Your challenge for the Second Phase is to make a dish that will satisfy us."

"Why a cooking test?!" the sumo wrestler demanded. I resisted the urge to tell him to shut up. This test was going to happen whether he liked it or not and frankly speaking, I would rather just get started.

"That's because the two of us are Gourmet Hunters!" My brother's grinned, the derisive edge to their smiles making me think that they didn't hold this type of hunter in very high esteem.

I glanced around, confused as a couple of the men next to me started laughing. Before long it had turned into a roaring clash of boisterous laughs. Briefly, my eyes connected with Hisoka's a bored smile curling his lips. Absently, I raised a brow. What was so bad about being a gourmet hunter? Hisoka winked, a nasty, wicked light making his golden eyes glint.

Ugh. I hated him.

"This must be a joke," one of the men nearest me jeered.

"What's this about Gourmet Hunters?" another laughed.

Annoyed, I turned to my brothers who all still held that self-righteous smiles. "What's so bad about being a Gourmet Hunter?"

"They're not real hunters," Imori said with an eye roll that I really didn't appreciate.

"It's like calling a maid a hunter," Umori threw out.

I frowned, unhappy with the answer.

"So, miss Gourmet Hunter," the sumo wrestler called out, the chatter of laughter still in the background. "What kind of dish do you want us to make?"

There was a moment of tense silence before the green-haired hunter answered. "Buhara."

The ground shook as the big man stepped forward. "The main ingredient will be pork."

My frown deepened. My brother's and I rarely got meats - not from any dietary reason but simply because we were so poor. Pork was much too expensive and there was nowhere near us with a proper supply of pig for us to hunt. In other words-

"We're screwed," my brother's and I groaned at the same time. I slapped them all in the arm, seething.

"You don't get the right to be anxious since you were just making fun of them," I snapped, crossing my arms as they frowned down at me.

"Any type that you find in the Visca Reserve Forest will do!" Buhara called and my eyes drifted to the dense forest just outside the gates. "It doesn't matter what type. You will use the tools and appliances here to prepare us a dish using the pig. If we are both happy with the dish, you will pass the test."

"But it's not just about the taste," Menchi clarified, looking highly annoyed. "Do not underestimate the complexities of cooking. Do you hear me?"

I bit back a groan. Yeah, I heard her. I had cooked every meal for my brothers since I turned twelve. Anxiously, I glanced through the basket of ingredients that was set out on each of the work tables. They all seemed to be the same: celery, onions, carrots, eggplant, tomatoes… was that an orange? What the hell was I going to do with an orange?

Not to mention that there wasn't any grain available at the station. Growling, I yanked open the cabinets one after another, throwing out a few pots and pans as I went. Nothing. No rice. No noodles.

_We could make soup. _I stopped my rampage, glancing up at Minoru. He had a point. We could make soup. That's about all we could make with so few ingredients.

_Fine. But I'm not happy about this._

Every other contestant had cleared out from the station area, making us behind schedule.

_Do you know how much time we have? _I asked as we picked our way through the forest, passing some examinees as they looked in brush and around trees. Minoru shrugged, moving slowly beside me.

_Are you seriously injured? _I inquired, eyeing him nervously. What would I do if he was? Where did that leave me in the competition? I didn't think that I could continue on without him. Why would I want to?

_My pride, more than anything else, _Minoru finally said. _To think that I got taken by a human. How pitiful._

_If it makes you feel better, I don't think that Hisoka is a human at all._ We had reached a little dip in the ground and I could hear the sound of a stream nearby along with the distant shouts of some of our competition. It looked like some people had found some pig.

"THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME!" I blinked, sweeping around quickly to see the cloud of dust that had poofed up just a few feet away from me.

"Could they be-" I started, unsure.

_Carnivorous, _Minoru replied grimly.

Well, that was just perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

They called them the Great Stamp. As in they would ram you in the face with their enormous snouts and then stamp all over your bloody carcass. Great.

_Jump higher!_

"I am high, you ass!" I shrieked, scrambling up a nearby tree just as a Great Stamp went barreling snout first into the trunk making the whole tree quiver.

_Just because you can't jump very high, don't get mad at me. _I barely stopped myself from leaping over to the tree that Minoru was on and strangling him to death. The giant pig rammed into my tree once more, almost dislodging me. I guess I was cheating a bit with Minoru since he knew more than a fair share about a variety of animals that lived in the woods. He had informed me that all I had to do was hit them on the top of their heads, an area that was soft and would apparently kill them in an instant. _NOW!_

I leaped, wind rushing at me as I took in the beady eyes of the pig below me before I was flipping, driving my heel into its head. Something gave and my converses went straight through, something squishy and wet splattering across my shoes and onto the back of my leg as the beast below me gave a pathetic yelp and then careened to the ground.

_Ew, _Minoru whispered softly, his face pulled into an expression of disgust and horror as I stayed where I was.

"Please don't tell me that there are Great Stamp brains on me right now," I whispered, not daring to look anywhere but the tree line. I shut my eyes as the silence stretched between us. It was really, really hard to get blood out of clothing.

_Well, it's a good thing that we weren't planning on making any brain recipes… _Minoru's lame reply made me want to rip my own hair out.

Muttering, I yanked my foot from the inside of the pig's head with a wet splosh and jumped down, glaring at the splash of blood that was quickly drying on my leg and foot.

"Let's go," I snarled grabbing onto the giant ear of the Great Stamp and beginning the long trudge back to the cooking area. The thing was so mammoth that it caught on every stray tree trunk and root that it could, making the walk horrible. A lot of the other contestants were still trying to cajole their hogs into submission, growing more and more desperate as the hours ticked on.

But a little above a quarter had actually made it back to the area and begun to cook.

The hog caught on a few pebbles as I dragged it over to the nearest tables. It was a pretty heavy monster of an animal and although I had a small amount of knowledge on cooking pig, I wasn't too sure about this amount of meat. The slender frame of Hisoka stood a station away from me, his face pulled into an expression that I was starting to decipher as real boredom.

Minoru grunted beside me, one of his paws going to rest against the counter as he steadied himself. His face was pulled into real pain. I snarled, raw fury burning through me. I was sure that it was his side that was giving him trouble. And that all came from _him_. God, I _hated _him.

"You're at my station." My pig went flying, landing with a loud bang in front of the cooking station that Hisoka was standing at. My eyes narrowed as he stared blankly down at it, his expression slightly bemused. Like he wasn't fully comprehending this slight. It gave me a sickening amount of pleasure seeing him so befuddled.

A few people near me, scuttled away to a different area, creating an awkward ring around Hisoka and I. Beside me, I could feel Minoru's anxiety. _Please don't do this._

Slowly, Hisoka turned, a severe smile curling his lips. "What?"

I took a step closer to him, stuffing my hands into my hoodie. If he wanted to stay in the competition, he needed to keep me alive until the examiners gave us specific orders to go ham. My eyes narrowed even further on the man leaning over me, his hands stuffed into his own pockets. I didn't think he would kill me even if he got permission. It didn't feel like the right time. I was still amusing him.

"You're at my station," I snipped, not budging an inch as he moved close enough for me to be able to catch that sweet and salty scent that lingered around him. Odd. It reminded me of something. I just couldn't think of what.

"You little brat." I squeal as his fingers pinched my cheeks, pulling them out as he smiled down at me.

"You prick!" I wailed, fighting back the tears as I yanked at his hands. My words came out warped as he tugged my cheeks out further. "Geph offa me!"

"Aaahhhh~ I thought we were bonding ~" he mused, giving my cheeks another tug, his grin positively evil.

_Should I help you? _Minoru asked, staring at us warily. I shot him a glare.

_You're hurt. _I glared up into that wicked face, his eyes shining with amusement and something else that I couldn't quite understand. _Stay out of this._

"Maybe I've given you a bit too much leeway," Hisoka mused, his gaze considering as it ran over my wiggling form. "Ah, but you're so enticing when you fight back..."

I snarled up at him. Distantly, something snapped into perspective for me. Some sick part of me liked this game that we were playing, a dance that shivered with the tension of a possible explosion. His eyes lit, his tongue running slowly along his lips as he drew a little bit closer. I lashed out, give his aura a hard shove that made his eyes narrow.

The fingers pinching down on my cheeks tightened, making me squeak. "You're certainly daring all of a sudden."

I glared up at him, my nails digging into his wrists until I saw a bit of blood drip-free. He didn't even flinch. "You don't seem like you're going to kill me anytime soon and I have the sinking suspicion that you won't be leaving me alone either."

His teeth flashed down at me in a savage grin. "Oh stop it, mousie," he breathed, drawing near enough that his nose rubbed against mine and I caught the greenish tints of his eyes mixed with the overpowering hue of honey. "We both know that you enjoy our games as much as I do."

"I would much prefer beating you to a pulp," I snapped, heat rising in my cheeks for some odd reason.

"Maybe later," he mused, letting go of my cheeks with a warning glance. I didn't move from my spot, huffing up at him. A long lapse of silence passed between us, his eyes flicking all around me.

"Do you really have no idea what you're doing?" he asked, his smile deceptively playful as his eyes narrowed further.

"Do you mean the stuff around you?" I blurted out and Minoru stiffened from his place a few feet away. The slight widening of Hisoka's eyes was all I needed in answer. I lowered my voice. "My ma taught me how to hide all of..._that..._ but…"

I stopped, glancing away. Why was I telling him about this? He didn't deserve this sort of honesty. I didn't know him at all. But then again what was the danger of it? What could he possibly gain from that?

The way that he was staring down at me made me feel like he was seeing right through me. As if he knew every moment of my life and was watching it play out.

The sound of footsteps and excited murmurs reached my ears moments before the other contestants burst through the open gates and rushed the cooking stands. All of them seemed to have the same idea since the roasting pits were quickly lit. I didn't break my gaze to look at them though, refusing to look away from that penetrating stare.

"You'll need to control it," he said suddenly, his voice soft. "If you don't all of the sharks will eventually come out of the water and gobble you up."

His words were playful but the look in his eyes was anything but. I tensed. "I can take care of myself."

Hisoka's smile grew as he leaned closer to me, his arms folding across his chest. "Oh, I'm sure you could in whatever hovel you grew up in but you're out in the big, wide world now, my little mousie." His eyes narrowed to golden slits. "And believe it or not my patience will grow thin."

If I was weak, I thought, a cold sweat starting to build at my nape. Those were the words he wasn't saying. I despised myself at that moment. I despised that I had drawn his attention and I despised that I knew that he was right. I had done fairly well up until this point to get through the exams but that wasn't good enough. Targeted missions would get me nowhere if I actually became a hunter. I would be up against a lot more people - people like Hisoka, I realized.

"I need to start my meal," I finally whispered, glaring up at him as I moved toward the Great Stamp and where Minoru stood silently.

"I'll be watching~" Hisoka chuckled, walking lazily towards another cooking station nearby.

"I hope you like the view," I grumbled, hauling my hog towards the spit as Minrou watched me with an unreadable expression.

There were basic salt and pepper at the station along with all of the other vegetables that they had thrown into a bowl by the stove. I got to work seasoning and lighting the pit to spin, my emotions swirling angrily. I hated myself for letting Hisoka get to me and even more than that I hated that I enjoyed it. I hated that I found it a bit exciting.

_You like it, _Minoru suddenly said as he cut up the vegetables and scooped them into a boiling pot. My muscles strained as I turned the pig, my eyes water from the smoke that was wafting into my pace.

"What?" I grouched.

Minoru's eyes shined over at me, beady and striking. _You like doing this back and forth with him… You've always been so curious about things but I didn't think…_

"That I would be so reckless?" I finished blandly, staring into the fire. It was a hot day already and the added warmth from the open flames were making me a sweaty, dripping mess.

_You've always been bored in that city though- _Minoru mused for a moment before I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"I'm fine in Belcher," I snapped, furiously. "I could survive-"

_Your mother taught you how to live, Morie, _Minoru replied softly. _Even when we were little we didn't really belong there. We were always… different._

And that was the way to describe it, wasn't it? _Different_. We were. Even with the Amori brothers, we were always on the outside - the little girl and her teddy bear who could fly and talk to her. I don't know why I had clung onto it for so long - that dream of staying in Belcher's and living out my days in a quiet, constant routine. I wasn't that type of girl.

An irritating buzz cut the air as I snapped out my dagger, brushing it against a clean towel before slicing off a few chunks of pork.

"The pork's overcooked," the green-haired woman sang, holding up a blue x on her scorecard even as her tubby companion dug into to the remaining pig. The big sumo wrestler named Todo gave a bellow of outrage, protesting furiously until eventually he was forced to leave the alter when another contestant approached.

_Everyone's just baked the whole hog, _Minoru murmured, his eyes running over the other contestants. I sniffed. Even from here I could smell the burnt flesh. Most of them hadn't even bothered to take it off when it was meant to be done. That had to piss Menchi off.

I winced as another contestant went up to quickly be kicked away, Menchi's incessant scolding following him as he wilted into the crowd. By the time that our broth was done, ten more contestants had come and gone and the rest were starting to get moody. Nothing pleased the gourmet hunter even though her partner was running through dishes like it was part of his job.

_It'll get cold if we don't go up now_, Minoru prodded, picking up the steaming bowl. I winced. It looked very small in comparison to all the whole hogs that had been set in front of her.

"She's failed every last person that's gone up there," I muttered under my breath even as I trudged along beside Minoru, feeling like I was about to go to my own execution.

_Then we'll be one of many. I love being average._

As I passed my brothers, they gave a couple of fist bumps and thumbs up, their plates already rejected by the gourmet hunters. Not surprising since they'd stolen almost all meals that they'd eaten in the fact twenty years of their lives.

"Oh not another one," Menchi groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation as we made our way slowly up the steps. Yep. This was a great start. Carefully, Minoru set our bowl in front of them, the assortment of vegetables and pork bobbing along in the broth.

Buhara, poked at the dish curiously, his brows going up. "This is different."

"What is this?" Menchi snapped in a way that made me think that she contemplating jumping across the table and butchering me herself.

"Um… soup?" It came out more as a question than a serious reply, something that made her brows furrow in annoyance.

"You used very little of the pig," she stated.

I frowned. "You never told us to use the whole thing."

Her eyes were fathomless as they stared up at me and I started to feel a dribble of sweat trickle down my throat. A tug on the bottom of my hoodie made me grit my teeth, that familiar aura poking at mine until I had to fight against the urge to turn around and seek out the red-haired man. Menchi's eyes flicked just to my thigh, her eyes narrowing for a moment long enough for me to catch.

"Delicious!" Buhara exclaimed, holding up a red circle. Not surprising. He had been passing everyone this entire time. He slurped up another mouthful of my broth, nearly draining the whole thing. My heart sunk as he reached for the last slice of pork. That would mean that the other hunter hadn't even bothered to taste it. Which surely meant immediate failure.

Chopsticks slapped down on the giant's hands before he could gobble up the rest, the green-haired woman's eyes brooding as she delicately picked up the slice and then drank a bit of the broth. Her brows furrowed as she turned a narrowed gaze to me, considering.

"Have you cooked before?" she finally asked and I watched the scorecard twirling between her fingers with growing anxiety.

"I have brothers," I said by way of explanation, swatting at Hisoka's aura as it toyed with the hem of my sweater. Menchi's eyes narrowed.

A long moment of silence passed in which I didn't breath at all. Minoru was just as still beside me, his mouth pulled down in a pinched expression.

Finally, a deep sigh escaped Menchi, that scorecard in her hands stopping abruptly on… a red circle. I blinked, startled. Was I seeing things?

_Is that actually..?_ I reached out to Minoru, clutching his arm as disbelief and joy burst through me.

_I think I'm hallucinating, _Minoru whispered, dazed.

"You pass," Menchi grumbled, sounding anything but pleased. "Your presentation was acceptable and you didn't bore me with your rendering of the pig. But I wouldn't be too happy about it - your competition hardly impressed so yours was just good in a pool of horrible renderings."

I certainly wasn't going to question her on it. We scrambled down from the alter so quickly that I didn't think that I touched most of those steps. I didn't notice the deafening silence until we were back at our station, a million eyes narrowed on us. I resist the urge to shrink back into a defensive position, my gaze catching on where Hisoka stood, leaning lazily against the counter of his kitchen while a card slipped through one of his hands. His brow raised as I caught his gaze, the smell of candy and blood filling the air as he dragged his tongue slowly over his lips.

"That's…" one of the contestants near us whispered, his hands clenching. "That means only-"

"Only one person passed," another one finished through gritted teeth.

"ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" Minoru tensed beside me as Todo slammed his hand into his cooking counter, crushing it. "I won't accept this. There's no way I will accept this."

"We will not change our minds about failing you," Menchi sighed, looking slightly bored.

"What a joke!" Todo snarled. "You two wanted to eat pork, so we put our lives on the lines-"

His face was twisted up in rage as both of the judges stood, moving forward with unsympathetic gazes. I didn't completely blame them either.

"Didn't I say to use the pig to make a dish that would satisfy us?" Menchi snapped, her hands going to her hips. "Only one of you did that."

A savage grin curled Hisoka's lips as his eyes flicked to me. That stare was far from pleasant. In fact, it was closer to mocking, that card of his flicking furiously between his fingers.

"Pork dishes are all the same, right?" Number 294, a bald young man with feathery eyebrows muttered.

I winced, seeing the color rising in Menchi right before she exploded.

"SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME IF YOU DARE!" She shrieked out, grabbing baldies collar and yanking him forward. "If you say something so idiotic again, I'm going to kick you in the nuts and watch you squirm! Damn you! I don't want to hear from anyone who can't cook a pig. What did you say? Huh?! I dare you to say it again!"

Seething, Menchi shoved the man away, flopping back into the chair at the top of the alter with an indignant huff.

"The conclusion is that none-" Her eyes snapped open, narrowing on me in the crowd. I gave a small wave and an awkward smile. Yeah. You had passed me, lady. A station away, the card in Hisoka's hand became a blur as he flipped it, an almost sadistic glee filling his eyes. He was going to kill her. I could feel it. The green-haired woman gave a sigh, looking extremely unhappy about my very existence. "_One _… of you has passed. The rest of you didn't care to even try."

An almost pathetic sort of disappointment filled Hisoka's face at the admission and the card and his hand slowed.

Todo's face had gonna a purplish-red, his fist clenching into white balls before he was launching forward. "DAMN YOU! STOP MESSING WITH ME!"

It was over before he had even reached Menchi who had turned her head slightly, her green eyes darkening. With a thundering whack, Buhara slapped Todo so hard that he flew across the clearing, slamming into the main gate with a deafening crack. Rubble puffed all around Todo before he was crashing to the dirt, another cloud of dirt poofing around him.

He didn't get up.

A murmur went through the sea of contestants, a few glancing back at the hunters with new awe. Yikes. They were a tough bunch. My gaze moved to Hisoka and then just over his shoulder to his pinned friend. But I was sure that we had a few tough ones in our bunch too.

"Let me make myself clear," Menchi said, her voice soft with deadly threat. "In our search for ingredients, we gourmet hunters are used to coming face-to-face with fearsome beasts." A set of knives appeared in both of her hands, the blades glinting as she threw them up into the air, spinning the deftly between her hands. "As for fighting skills, we had to master them despite our lack of interest. Without any attention to detail and the guts to take on a new challenge, it is reasonable to say that none of you are fit to become a hunter."

Silence followed this statement. Hesitantly, I raised my hands, giving Menchi a wane smile. She rolled her eyes. "Except for the little girl and her teddy bear."

"Thanks," I called, giving her a thumbs up.

Hisoka looked almost overjoyed as he drew out a few more cards. I was pretty sure that he was going to be killing another examiner in a couple of seconds. Deftly, I stepped to the side, yanking Minoru along with me.

"Even so," a voice blared and we all glanced up to catch sight of an airship, zipping along through the sky until it hovered over the cooking ground. "Passing only one candidate is a bit excessive."

"That's the marker of the hunter association!" one of the other contestants screamed, pointing at two intersecting Xs with a red triangle at the center. "Is it a committee member?"

As if in immediate response, a blur jumped from the ship, falling to the ground and landing with an explosion of dirt and wind.

_Woah, _Minoru whispered, clutching me as the impact sent me flying. Dirt and pebbles stung my face.

_I think that Hisoka might have some competition, _I said tightly, clinging to Minoru.

"Who's that old man?"

He was old - old in a kind of hip, grandfather way. He was dressed in a pristine white kimono, his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail to reveal his pierced ears.

_He's edgy_, Minoru mused and I resisted the urge to giggle.

"He's the Head of the Selection Committee, the person in charge of the hunter exam," Menchi stated, stepping forward. Her face drawn in resignation. "Chairman Netero."

"Rather than being in charge, you could say I work behind the scenes," the old man said in an amicable way, smiling slightly. He had a massive beard, spiked with gray. "In other words, someone who comes to fix problems such as these."

His face turned gravely serious.

"Before we address the issue here though and a solution -" His eyes scanned the crowd quickly. "Would the one passing contestant step forward please?"

I scrambled up into Minoru's shoulders, warily clutching at his ear as we slowly stepped through the sea of people who had begun to crowd around the two imposing figures. Across the area, Amori and my other brothers caught my eyes.

Chairman Netero's eyes ran over Minoru and me in consideration for a moment before he was nodding.

"You've passed and so you'll be allowed to continue onto the second phase-"

"Hey!" some random guy in the back yelled. "That's not fair! She has a - whatever the hell that thing is."

My hands tightened on Minoru as the Chairman's head tipped to the side. Deep in the crowd, I felt the attention of Hisoka and the answering tug of his aura. Except this time it was coaxing, almost guarded as it circled me. Netero's brows furrowed.

"It isn't against the rules to use companions as accessories," the Chairman finally said, turning away with a shake of the head. "It would be the same as taking away someone's weapon or... _pet_."

A boy with a monkey gave a nervous wiggle, sinking a bit deeper into the crowd.

"Either way, that is hardly my concern," he continued, his gaze flicked to me. "You have passed and so you will board while we wait for the continuation of the exams."

A ladder thumped to the ground right beside me, barely missing the cluster of contestants that were standing beside me.

"You may go aboard and wait for your competition." The smile that he gave me was less than heartwarming.

I opened my mouth. And then closed it. What was I supposed to say? No? My eyes caught on my brother's once more, a tense moment passing before Umori was giving me a grin and a thumbs up. Imori quickly followed, waving his hand in a shooing motion. They wouldn't accomplish anything more with my presence than they would without.

Tentatively, I patted Minoru's head, tightening my hands on his head as he slowly drifted into the air, making his way up to the airship.

* * *

_As always, please leave a **REVIEW** and I hope to see you next chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

_Breathe. _My mother's breath was warm and steady against my cheek, centering me. Beneath my lids, I saw blackness mixed with the flickers of candlelight that dotted the living room. _What do you see?_

Even as a child, I thought it was a silly question. _Darkness_, I would think. _The underside of my eyelids_, I supposed would be another answer. But that would get mama mad at me and I hated it when she looked at me like that. So I stayed quiet. If I didn't give an answer then she couldn't be disappointed.

_You have to see something, peanut_, she would whisper and I would stay quite still. Because there was nothing that I could tell her. _The edge. That's what you see. That darkness is the very edge of what you are. If you know your boundaries than no one will be able to defeat you._

Then there was the lavender scent of her breath across my cheeks. A chill and she was pulling away. I stared into the darkness within. What I never said was that I didn't see an edge. I saw an infinite darkness, no borders, no restraints. But I kept my mouth shut. I stayed silent, afraid that my mom would tell me that my borders lay just against my skin, no way of moving, no ability to grow.

* * *

I woke slowly, taking in the quiet whir of the engines. We had idled in the same place, this little tin can bobbing against the ebb and flow of the wind on the horizon. For a while, I had paced along the hallways, peeking into rooms and drawing shapes on the windows. But eventually, I had grown bored. And then the boredom had turned into exhaustion.

_They've already come back. _I sat up, taking in the sleeping forms of my brothers, all curled up into a corner, heaped on top of each other like a pile of dogs. They must have found me shortly after the test. Minoru had situated himself against the door, his eyes watchful as they scanned over me. _They were complaining that you took all of the blankets._

_They won't be the only ones. _At seeing the sorry cot that each room held along with the thin knit blankets, I had decided to collect all the blankets from each room to make a small nest. Even so, there had only been a few rooms that could be used as resting areas - five at the most. The rest of the contestants were probably crammed into the other four. Well, more than likely the other three. There was no way that anyone would invade Hisoka's space.

Something buzzed unhappily in the back of my mind as I stared at the clinical walls, the feeble bookcase in the corner of the room without any actual books but dustless. My muscles tensed beneath my skin, something edgy and rageful crawling just beneath the surface. The tests so far had been irritatingly simple. My teeth gnashed together. Did I want more of a challenge? That wasn't what I had come here for. That was my mother talking. The ghost of her spirit still floating all around me.

_Did you dream about her again? _Minoru's eyes were cutting as I rubbed at my neck, the skin there growing irritated and starting to burn. I didn't answer, staring into those dark, beady eyes of his. Yes, I wanted to say. Yes. And I hate it. I hate that I remember her. I hate that she's always here even when I know she shouldn't be. I hate that I know what she would think of me and how disappointed she would be. I hate _her_.

I shifted my eyes away, turning more fully into the cocoon of blankets around me. _I don't want to talk about it._

And on the other side of our link, there was a knowing silence. And I hated that too.

* * *

While half of the ship slept, the other half was just waking up. A first mate knotted his tie while he thought about the girl that he had left back home and how her hair had smelled like honeysuckle in the morning. A captain pondered over the changing of the winds, wondering if he should mention it or if that slight increase meant little to nothing in the grand scheme of things.

And a group of hungry examiners sat down to a posh dinner of fresh bread, strawberry clouds with a raspberry glaze and a variety of other meals that many of the contestants sleeping just half a ship away had never even heard of before.

"How many do you think will remain this year?" the green-haired gourmet hunter inquired, sitting forward in her seat with an almost ravenous gleam in her eyes.

Buhara's beady eyes shifted to her, his brows tipping down as he took an entire platter of pork belly. Beside him, a pile of plates was quickly accumulating. "Do you mean those that will pass?"

"Yes," Menchi said, a dreamy kind of smile curling her lips. Across the table from Buhara, Satotz sat quietly, taking in the almost jittery aura around the gourmet hunter. Just a few hours before, she had been ready to saute every last one of them. His mustache twitched. Now she seemed almost giddy with joy. "It's not often that this many talented people make it... Even if I did try to fail all of them."

Buhara frowned a bit. The truth was that these contestants had only made it through two exams - and at that, their arrogance had nearly failed them all in the last one. "It depends on the next test though."

"That's true, yes." Her wide green eyes flickered. "Did you notice something during the test? A few of the contestants seemed very promising. What do you think, Satotz?"

Fork and knife posed above a roast with fresh cream and herbs, the purple-haired examiner paused. He didn't hesitate. "I have to agree. The contestants this year are pretty good."

"You think so too?" Menchie grinned. "I have my eyes on number 294."

Satotz thought of the winged brows of the bald contestant, remembering his boasts about being a ninja. No. He couldn't quite agree. Too loud. "I have my eyes on number 99."

Menchi laughed, that pesky, little brat with silver hair flashing through her mind. She didn't like pipsqueaks. "That guy had to be a stubborn and obnoxious jerk. What about you, Buhara?"

The larger examiner grunted, frowning. "Let me think…" Immediately, his mind drifted, catching on the vivid flashes of red hair, cold, golden eyes. There was something to be said about a man that was willing to slit the throats of anyone who stood in his way. "He's not really a rookie but my choice would be number 44… I'm sure Menchi noticed it too. When number 255 was mad, the one with the strongest desire to kill was number 44."

A shiver went down Menchi's spine, her eyes flicking to the locked door of their compartment. Yes. there was something to be said about bloodlust. And one of those things was that someone who was able to control it was a threat. Especially someone with number 44's particular set of skills.

Menchi licked her suddenly dry lips, forcing some bravado into her voice as she leaned farther back into her seat. "I sensed it, of course. He had an overwhelming killer aura. But you know what, Buhara? He looked like that from the start. He had the same expression the moment we showed up."

The same uncomfortable awareness crept along Buhara's spine. "He did?"

Menchi nodded. "Yes. I was stressed out more than usual because of him. He seemed to be looking for my faults."

Satotz set down his fork and knife. "He was the same with me." The examiner's brows lowered, his mind drifting to the small, silvery haired girl that had spoken with him along the run. In fact, she had been the only one to get within fifteen feet of him after his little display in the beginning. "The real one of interest to me is number 200."

Menchi perked up, her head tipping to the side. "200? That little girl with her doll?"

"I think it was a bear," Buhara supplied.

"Whatever," she replied with an eye roll. Her nose wrinkled as she thought back on the only contestant that had cooked anything vaguely interesting. Borderline mediocre but not enough to allow for an honest disqualification. "When she came back from the hunt, there had been blood on her shoes…"

Buhara frowned. "There was? When-"

"Number 44s aura spiked," Menchi murmured, grimacing at the memory.

"That's what that was," Buhara breathed, looking vaguely unsettled.

Satotz nodded. "They react to each other. His aura did the same thing when he was speaking to her and I'm afraid that she responds in kind."

Menchi's mouth twisted crudely, her expression anything but pleasant as she stared across the table at the purple-haired examiner. "She's weak. At the moment, she's too busy hiding behind that bear of hers or even her brothers. It annoys me."

"An odd thing have such a creature with her," Buhara mused. He had only seen one of it's kind in the depths of the Nomadic forest, far away from any human civilization. Those kinds of animals didn't take kindly to the general hubbub of the city.

Menchi scowled. "You're giving her too much credit. It's pathetic to lean so heavily on that animal for her survival."

Satotz eyes drifted to one of the small windows that lined their cabin. "I would have to disagree, Menchi. She's barely performed at all in the last two phases and that in itself is troubling. While we've grown to understand the majority of the others, she seems to be keeping herself rather hidden. And that is...unsettling."

Buhara's eyes slipped open, his face somber. "Do you think she's a threat?"

Satotz shook his head. "No. I think that she still doesn't fully understand her potential. And that she hasn't come up against an obstacle that is high enough to make her push herself-"

"Lazy," Menchi huffed, crossing her arms with a venomous sniff.

"Perhaps that's why she's so drawn to number 44," Satotz continued on, unphased. "Or perhaps it's a bit more complicated. Unlike the rest, her battle doesn't seem to be within the confines of our exam."

The green-haired examiner scoffed. "Then why is she even here?"

"That's a good question."


	8. Chapter 8

"Everyone! This is the start of the third phase." A little green, bean-like butler called, looking a bit too merry to make me feel at ease. The other contestants shuffled past Minoru and my brothers, sending me long, hard side-long glances. They were silently seething that I had passed, I could just _feel_ it.

And it was starting to really piss me off.

"Try it, weasel," Amori snarled at a contestant in purple who had gotten within shoulder-bumping range. I glared up at him. They had all been doing small things like that, obviously cowed by the sheer numbers that my brothers and I represented but also petty enough to try and shove me around. Pretty soon I was going to start slicing off their hands.

Umori scowled, his ugly mug making a few of the surrounding contestants step farther away. Still, the little glances I kept getting was enough to rile me into a low simmer. Across the stone slab that we were situated on, I caught the amused glint of Hisoka's golden eyes, his red hair vivid against the morning sky.

His eyes roamed over me, his lips curling as a trickle of his aura pushed against me, making me teeth gnash. He was goading me and dammit but it was working. I snapped at another contestant with a cap on as he came a bit too close, sending him skittering away in wide-eyed surprise.

That damn dream. That dream with its beating disappointment. My ma had wanted me to be so much more than I was and yet all I had risen to was a petty thief. I could feel it pulse through me like a shot of liquor, burning and stinging. I would have been a disappointment. Worse, I was throwing away something that could make me _famous_. Something that would allow me to lead a _good_ life. Damn her. Damn the wisps of her that still fluttered around me.

_You're in a foul mood,_ Minoru mused, not taking the time to even glance at me as my fingers tightened around his paw. I seethed, fuming, still grappling clumsily with the bit of Hisoka's aura that kept pushing against mine. Across the clearing, I saw him playing idly with a deck of cards, looking so nonplussed that I wanted to go over there and strangle him.

Sweat dribbled down my neck, something rancid and rabid bubbling up inside of me. My fingers ached, my muscles screaming for some relief. I wanted to fight. I needed to do something to stop this irrational beast that was starting to tear at my insides.

"In order to pass this phase, you must reach the bottom of this tower alive," the green butler continued, grinning.

"Morie, you need to calm down," Imori breathed, not daring to touch me as he glanced nervously around. I was starting to draw attention. The wrong kind of attention.

Hisoka had stopped playing with his stupid cards, his brows furrowing as his aura pulled back a bit from mine before diving forward like a feral animal let loose. I met it, my head snapping around to glare at him. _Stop pushing me_, I thought, sending a warning shove into him that made his brows go up. I tried to reel myself in, taking a deep breath as he let me be for a moment. Bad things happened when I lost control.

Near the ramp that had let us exit the airship, the man with the pins and purple skin seemed to have developed the same interest. His eyes, which were just as dark and impassive, stayed fixed to me, his head clicking this way and that disjointedly as he watched. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Calm down. Calm down._

"Just take a breath," Umori suggested.

"I _know_!" I snarled, sending my brother back a step. Immediately regret filled me, followed closely by the need to _get away_. I had held myself together so well up until this point and now - now I was covered in damp sweat, the urge to scream and lay someone out almost overwhelming me. It was pathetic - an utter disgrace that I had let this competition get me so riled. Yanking my hoodie over my head and to the ground, I stepped quickly away from the cluster of my brothers. "Just give me five seconds."

_Keep it together, Morie_, I chastised myself, my fingers trembling as I tugged down my tank top, the obnoxious yellow smiley face plastered on it mocking me. I stopped, sensing Minoru just at my back, his eyes watchful as he kept a close guard on me. Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe I was the thing that he was guarding the others _against_. When I got angry, people got hurt. I had learned that on the streets and I had learned that with my brothers.

Just at my ankle, I could feel Hisoka's aura brushing along me, testing at my boundaries.

I gritted down, frowning. His presence riled something inside of me - something that I hadn't even realized had been lying dormant. Something savage and angry. But I couldn't let him control my emotions - egging me on into anger. I could control myself. I wasn't a child anymore and I could control myself.

_Better? _Minoru asked as I let out a breath, opening my eyes to the glare of the sun. I nodded, my muscles still tensed, that same itch still there just beneath my skin but a little calmer. Without thought, Minoru reached down for me, picking me up so that I could rest on his shoulders. The little green man had left us already, leaving the remain contestants to wander around on the roof of the tower.

I had only caught about half of what he had been saying which would leave me leaning heavily on Minoru and my brothers for the rest. They were all just a few paces around, waiting patiently in their usual cluster. They wouldn't want to separate this far into the game.

_We have 72 hours to find our way through the tower and to the bottom, _Minoru supplied, taking a step toward Amori and the rest. Just across the clearing Hisoka's eyes had wandered to something just behind my brother's feet. I blinked, taking in the rumpled mess of my hoodie.

A low rumble broke through my confusion. _What-?_

_I think it's coming from-_

A scream tore from my throat as the ground beneath us buckled and then vanished, leaving nothing but gaping darkness moments before we were careening down. Terror blurred my vision, making the startled expressions on my brother's faces seem like blobs.

"MORIE-"

It was too late. My arms locked around Minoru's neck as he flailed, trying to grab onto something but only finding air as we dropped. My shoulder slammed into something hard and unforgiving, making me yelp and let go of him. He gave a similar squeal of discomfort as his ribs hit the ground.

"Ouch," a calm voice echoed through the simmering silence as I tried to get my bearings, blinking up at the dark ceiling. "That looked like it hurt."

Dazed, I forced myself up to my elbows, grimacing as my shoulder pulsed dully. It had been a short fall, thank God but I would definitely have a bruise there. We had fallen into a windowless, stone room. Sitting just a few feet away next to a smooth, cement slab was a grinning young man with dark brown hair. I blinked. I had never seen him before. Or more accurately, I had never noticed him before. He looked incredibly average with a pleasant smile and a plain shirt and shorts. Even his number was a little boring: _23_.

"Who are you?" I sniffed, inching toward Minoru who was struggling into a sitting position.

Number 23 grinned, flashing a set of white canines. "You don't need to worry about me. Read the board."

He jabbed a thumb back at the blackboard that was positioned just above the cement slab. I flinched, staring at the jumble of lines and circles. There was something that I hadn't needed to learn on the streets.

And that was reading.

So far I had gotten pretty lucky. Sure, I could count well enough thanks to my brothers but they each were lousy teachers and there just hadn't been time to learn letters. That's what happens when you scrounge around your entire life for scraps. You lose track of time.

Nervously, I shifted closer to Minoru. He was the smarter of us. And he definitely knew how to read. His kind were more adept with that sort of thing.

_From now until the end, you two will be traversing the Trick Tower together. Make decisions together and you will reach the bottom. Separate and only one will succeed, _Minoru supplied, finally able to roll into a sitting position. I crouched beside him, staring hard at the boy just across from him. I don't like newbies.

_I don't like anyone, _I replied glumly.

_We'll have to work with him to get back to your brothers._

_Yeah. _I frowned across the small space. Was there really any decision to be made? I had to work with him to get to the bottom of this tower. My brothers would more than likely have seen what happened to me and gotten into the same chamber by some shenanigan or another. Not to mention that I had left my hoodie up with them. Failing wasn't an option.

"I asked what your name was," I snapped, staying where I was.

"Ah, my bad," Number 23 grinned, rubbing at his hair. "Name's Ichihiro."

_Even his name's boring, _Minoru grumbled, getting to his feet. Slowly, I followed, our actions mirrored by Ichihiro. Ichihiro _was_ a pretty boring name. _Firstborn_ was what it roughly translated to - making it the number one go-to for unenthused mothers.

Keeping an eye on him, I inched toward the cement slab, eyeing the bracelets sitting on top of it. Across the room, Ichihiro gave a grin, flashing his wrist at me where an identical bracelet was firmly in place. I frowned. That looked a lot like collaring.

"Hello!" A cheery voice blared from the speakers inched into the corners of the room's ceiling. "My name's Lippo. I'm the prison warden and also the examiner for the third phase."

_Great. _Minoru griped. _They finally got us. It's all been an elaborate trap to throw us in jail! I told you this life of crime would lead to three brick walls and some iron bars._

_Oh, shut up_. I frowned up at him. Still, the information made my skin crawl. I was less than enthused at the prospect of being trapped inside of a prison.

"There are several routes in this tower," he continued on. "While some are tasked with the unfortunate ordeal of majority rules, _you_ will only have to deal with each other. As you can see, there are three bracelets that are to be worn as you go through your trials."

I scowled, staring down at the pair of bracelets still resting on the cement slab. He was right. There were three. That meant that they were considering Minoru a contestant. I opened my mouth to object, sensing a trap beginning to close around me. We had had an advantage when they had considered us a single entity.

"Oh before you begin to object, number 200," that cheery voice continued on, syrupy sweet. "Let me put you at ease. While my other examiners have considered you two to be one, I will not do so. Even that little boy with his monkey had to start the trial with it being considered a contestant. You see, every able body must be accounted for when going through my tower which means that even those performing in a servant role will be tracked."

_Servant?_ Minoru fumed, a low snarl working through his chest.

"And it seems," Lippo said, his voice going soft and smooth as if he was leaning forward in interest. "That you're little pet is intelligent enough to understand me."

Minoru immediately stilled, falling silent. My eyes snapped over to Ichihiro, catching his hard stare before he was whipping around to whistle up at the ceiling. My insides rolled, that earlier anger starting to bubble up. I hated little men in little boxes who hid behind screens and speakers.

"My, my, that is a frightening look you have on your face, number 200," Lippo chirped and my lips twisted down even more. "It seems that Satotz was correct. You seem to need a bit of a closer eye… But that's neither here nor there. What is at present is that you have three people and must, therefore, move along." A slab of stone to our right shivered and then slid out of the way, leaving a torch-lit hallway in its absence. "I wish you good luck!"

With that the loudspeaker gave a pop and a fizzle, effectively cutting off communication to the warden. I glared at it. There was little chance that he still wasn't watching us.

"Well…" Ichihiro hummed, glancing expectantly at us. "Should we be…?"

Snarling, I yanked the bracelets from their small alcoves, clipping one onto my wrist then onto Minoru's as well.

"If you betray us, I'll tear out your insides and feed them to my friend here," I warned, tipping my chin towards Minoru as he bared his teeth before stalking past Ichihiro and into the hallway.

"Lovely warning," the man replied cheerily, making my head pound with pent up aggression. "I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

_If you like my story please leave me a little kudos and a comment! _


	9. Chapter 9

Trick Tower was made up of a variety of brick and mortar pathways, all dimly lit by gaslights and torches. It was a labyrinth of hallways so similar that I could only imagine the insanity that would come from having to live here. Sometimes down the darkening, flickering hallways, I would hear an echo - like someone was whispering just around the corner. Or the scrape of chains along stone.

Only an hour into our walk, I had climbed onto Minoru's back, sitting cross-legged so that I was able to face Ichihiro as we drifted along down the halls. It took less effort on both of our parts to stay like this and since his ribs were beginning to ache again, it was the more strategic way to go.

My eyes narrowed on the slim, pleasant-looking man currently walking along merrily behind us. I didn't like him. I didn't like the way that he was constantly smiling or his little remarks about how lovely the construction of the hallways was. He was just such a happy guy. And not the mocking happiness that Hisoka seemed to broadcast - almost as if he were laughing at everyone around him.

My mind wandered briefly to the scarlet haired man who had slowly been taking up more and more of my conscious thoughts. Like a creepy poison that was eventually going to corrupt my entire body. Perhaps it was that bit of surprise that I had seen in his eyes in the clearing.

Or maybe I was just crazy. Both seemed equally as likely in the grand scheme of things.

Morie. I blinked, turning around slightly at the startled whisper that Minoru had sent me.

And what I saw made my stomach drop.

We had gone through several smaller rooms, some asking little questions like how many contestants were left in the game, what had been our last test and so on. Easy things that were meant to slow us down or make us overthink. Lucky, we all seemed to be under the same assumption - even with the wrong answers we still needed to go on.

I had realized rather quickly why they had paired people up so unevenly. It was more than likely in an effort to promote squabbling between three people who didn't really know each other. It wasn't about whether the answer led to the correct passage - sure it would probably help you to get on the shorter path but what was really important is that we continued on at the fastest pace possible.

I had assumed that this was their main goal - that we were really only against the clock in here. Of course, I was wrong. We were in a prison.

And the warden had finally decided to let us see some of the inmates.

"They're here! They're here!" a high voice warbled.

"I should have known it wasn't going to be this easy," Ichihiro sighed, his smile finally wavering a bit as he stared across the impressive space.

Like an island in the middle of the sea, a stone platform rose up from what I could only assume was a deadly fall. The space around it seemed so to be so far down that I couldn't even see the bottom. My hair ruffled up into a white cloud around my face as a distant breeze whipped around the enclosed area. Torches stood proudly at all four corners, shivering in the roar of the wind from below.

We had no way to get there, completely cut off from it. And just across from us was a group of three shabbily clad inmates, chained in irons and marooned just like us. As we watched, the cuffs clipped off, thudding to the ground and a low cheer echoed around the area from one of them.

"Ah, this is fun, isn't it?" Lippo was back and his voice was even more irritating than before if that was possible. "As I'm sure our Hunter contestants have realized, there are three men on the other side fo this section. They are all prisoners here at Trick Tower."

"And here I was hoping that they would have chosen to hire a third party for this bit," Ichihiro muttered. Absently, I slipped from Minoru's back, my eyes narrowing. It was a little too far away for me to get a good look at the prisoners. All I could make out was a frizz of hair, a hulking figure still shrouded in his prison garb and a spritely figure, standing a bit crookedly.

And a distant sort of hunger - something like desperation that coated the air.

"You will battle with each of them - one on one. The rules are simply that each of you must go and that you will only participate once. We want this to be fair." At this, Lippo gave a manic laugh that made my ears ring. "Everything is permissible and there will be no draws. You win as long as your rival admits defeat."

"Oh, can I go first?" that same squeaky voice from earlier chimed in and I saw the jerky movements of someone trying desperately to wiggle around the other two. "Please. Please. Please."

A long-suffering sigh reached our ears. "Do as you like, Immy. These three don't look all that impressive anyway."

I tried to dredge up any emotion other than slight annoyance but came up with nothing. Obviously that was a jab but I had to admit that he was right. Our appearance as a unit ranged from boring (Ichirhiro) to someones oversized teddy bear (Minoru.) And then somewhere in the middle, there was me. Some women could pull off the scary vibe without any real trouble. Those women were not me. I was short for my age with a smaller build from living on the streets for so long. In fact, some might have even said that I looked half-starved and a bit desperate. In short, I was a product of the streets far more than I would have liked to admit. There wasn't anything elegant or intimidating about me. Hungry would be the word that I would have used to describe myself - hungry for much more than a meal.

"HEY, PIPSQUEAKS!" A voice called across to us. It was the larger one, I saw. "The rules are simple. You can choose whoever you like to face us. Two wins and you'll be able to pass without any issue from us. However, if we win then all of our sentences will be cut by 72 hours and you will have to stay here until the examiners decide to come scoop you all up."

"Better get your sleeping bags ready, kiddos!" that same irritating voice from before crowed.

"That's irritating," Ichirhiro muttered, his brows going down as he stared across the expanse. I couldn't help agreeing with him.

_So, to sum it up, there just here to play around with us as long as possible._ My lips thinned.

_What else are you going to do to pass the time in a place like this?_

Ichihiro's eyes slid to us, slim slits against the skin that that shit-eating grin was pushing up. My brother's had once told me that a frown can tell people one thing while a smile can hide a million. That's why Amori grinned so much whenever he fought someone.

"Who do you want to go first?" My eyes narrowed further at his amiable question. Whoever went first would have a severe disadvantage compared to the rest. We had no clue what each duel was going to be but at least by watching the remaining prisoners while the first test was going on, we could get a general feel on where their minds were headed.

I smiled, getting ready to tell him that he could shove that question right up his ass and get onto that platform.

_I'll go._ I whipped around, staring up at Minoru. His eyes were narrowed onto the figure currently making his way across the metal bridges that had wound out from our perch.

_Are you crazy?_ I hissed through our mental connection. _You know how risky it'll be to go-_

_I don't trust this guy with my dead hair much less this first test,_ he replied grimly and I let out a grumble. _He'll screw us over the first chance that he gets. At least with how little he is, I have a good chance in a straight fight and I'm fairly smart so I can hold my own in a riddle. It's a 50/50 shot._

Dammit. He had a point. I suddenly wished I was with my brothers. It would have been so easy to get through this with them.

"Minoru will go first," I gritted out, watching as he stepped heavily onto the metal bridge that led to the platform beyond.

Ichihiro's smile slipped a bit. "Well, that was a bit unexpected."

You're telling me, I thought glumly, glaring across the space that separated me from the only person I had known since infancy. If anything happened to Minoru - pain burst through my chest, a claw squeezing down on my lungs until it was hard to breathe. I don't know what I would do if someone hurt him. Chills crawled along my scalp. Or who I would become.

"Oh joy!" Fully on the platform now, I finally got a full view of the prisoner. Short and leath, the man had a shock of blue hair, frizzy and unkempt. His face was gaunt, his skin-tight against the bone like he had refused to eat for the past month or so. That didn't seem to diminish any of his nervous energy, however. His spidery fingers twirling around each other, his teeth chattering as if a live wire were running through him. "I had so wanted you. You're quite big, aren't you? Some kind of animal, correct?" His smile grew lecherish as he reached out a shaking hand. "Immy Notoshi. Arrested for game hunting I slaughter half of the population of small-billed swans."

My stomach rolled, hatred starting to sour my mouth.

"Was that a threat?" Ichihiro murmured curiously.

"If it wasn't a threat then his people skills are severely lacking," I replied blandly.

Minoru stared blankly down at Immy's outstretched hand, his beady eyes flashing in the light of the flames.

"He wants you to get on with it!" I screamed across the expanse. The prisoner's eyes glinted in the shadowy light as they all latched onto me. I gave a little wave. "Ah, in case you haven't noticed, Minoru is a bear. So I'll be talking for him."

"How do you even know what he's trying to say?" the mammoth man from before grumbled.

I gave a little smirk. "Sign language."

"He didn't move his hands," Immy said suspiciously. Minoru gave a few incoherent flaps of his arms, looking slightly bored.

_This is stupid,_ Minoru complained.

_Hey, I just don't want smiley over here to think that we're anything special._

"He says let's get on with it," I called.

"Ah, fine." Immy pouted, turning to a large screen that I hadn't seen before.

The screen blinked to life, orderly letters fizzing in and out for a moment before stabilizing. Yikes. A poem. I hated poems.

"Solve this and you'll pass my test," Immy said, grinning. "That's it. So simple."

Minoru had stiffened, his head turning to fully take in the words on the screen. Briefly, his eyes flicked to me. _I have a bed but I do not sleep. I have a mouth but I do not eat. You hear me whisper but I never talk. You can see me run but I never walk. What am I?_ When he was finished, his eyes flicked to me.

I blinked stupidly. _Dude , I'm not good at rhymes,_ I said blankly, before he could ask me anything.

On the platform, I could see Minoru shuffle a bit to the side so that he could see me while also keeping an eye on the prisoner in his way.

_That's not what that's called_, he griped and I caught the irritated lilt in his voice. I stared at him blankly.

_Then what is it called?_ I asked, a distant part of my brain working to figure out what this trial was really called. I felt like it started with an r.

Minoru's eyes narrowed at me for a moment before he spoke. _Poem?_

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!" The prisoner finally burst, stomping his foot. The words on the screen flickered for a moment. They did rhyme. Didn't they? I couldn't entirely remember it now. "Are you guys having some silent thing right now?"

He's acting like it's life or death, Minoru said blandly, staring up at the words on the screen like he was trying to read another language. Distractedly, he flicked his hand at me.

I sighed, plopping down to dangle my legs over the edge. "He says that you're acting like this is life or death. Which it's not."

"FINE!" The prisoner snapped, waving his hands. "If you don't answer this correctly within the next five hours, you'll die. I'll kill you."

"Ooooooohhhhh, death," I murmured, drawing an annoyed look from the frizzy-haired man.

My eyes drifted up, watching as Minoru pulled out my dagger from the pouch at his belly and began to scribble something or other down into the stone floor.

"Will he be able to figure it out?" Ichihiro asked, his head tipped to the side and narrowed on Minoru as if he were trying to dissect something.

I didn't answer for a moment, watching Immy ramble on. His tactic for this was obviously to try to distract Minoru with his incessant yammering. With anyone else, I think it would have actually worked. But Minoru was accustomed to having to tune out the human world. It was one of his many talents.

"I wouldn't bet against him," I finally said. Silently, I reached out to him. _If this reaches three hours then forfeit. In a fight to the death, you can kill him._

The barest of nods was all I got in return.

I settled in for a long wait, trying to think of what that word was. It was just there - on the tip of my brain. Not a poem but a… limerick? Wait, how the hell did I know what a limerick was but not a… Damn, what the hell was it called? Definitely an r-word. No way in hell was I going to ask Ichihiro. He would probably just smile down at me.

_River_. Minoru's voice broke through my mind like a shot in the night, making me jerk. I looked up, barely coherent enough to fully grasp the fact that Minoru was slowly getting to his feet. His eyes met mine. _It's a river. Bed - a bed of rocks. Mouth - mouth of a river. It all fits. Tell him._

I kept his gaze. _Are you sure?_

_It's already been an hour and a half. This is the most time I'm going to waste on this riddle._

My head gave a dull throb. _Riddle! How in the world hadn't I thought of that?_ He gave a few half-hearted arm waves.

"He says that the answer is a river," I called, cutting Immy off in the middle of a vivid retelling of him slaughtering 10 swans in a row.

His eyes blinked over at me owlishly, his mouth twisting. "What?"

"You heard me," I snapped, catching on to the fact that this nitwit wasn't going to make it easy. "River."

Immy's eyes flicked from me to Minoru in a few rapid sweeps. "Are - are you sure-?"

"Just tell us if he's right or not," I cut him off.

A purple vein in his temple pulsed, some of the color leeching from his skin. He was going to lose it. I could already tell.

"Yes!" he snapped peevishly, stomping back across the ramp without a backward glance. Minoru wandered back to us as well, his eyes glassy. Across the way, I could hear the erratic screams of the frizzy-haired poacher.

My eyes drifted to the small scoreboard just above their hallway. We were one up.

* * *

_Hey, my little cinnamon buns! So I know things are a little crazy right now with this virus but I just wanted to emphasize the point of coming back to the things that we love and just not letting the fear and uncertainty ruin everyday life. We still have so much to be thankful for and I for one, count you guys among those numbers._

_So yeah, I hope that this chapter brightens your day._


	10. Chapter 10

"My turn." My ears peaked at the voice, my attention turning fully to the other side of the room. Minoru had barely stepped onto our side before there was a scraping, shuffling sound that crept closer and closer. The sliver of shadows that hid all of the prisoners eventually gave way to the light cast from the torches and I grimaced.

Hunched and dragging along his right leg, the next prisoner would have been a monster from any little girl's nightmares. Half of his body was covered in smooth, waxy skin - as if he were a candle that had been held to close to a flame. All of his hair had been burned into smoothness from his scalp to the drooping lid of his left eye where there were no lashes.

_That is one ugly inmate, _Minoru whistled. I didn't say anything, taking in the jagged way that he was making his way across the bridge. Unless he was playing a rather believable part, he wouldn't be fighting. My eyes narrowed further. Would it be another riddle?

"I'll go!" Another surprise. My brows went up as Ichihiro stepped forward with a wide smile, his eyes glittering. "I know how it looked last time when Minoru had to go. I want to prove myself. We're a team right?"

Taken aback, I gaped as he made his way forward, giving me a thumbs-up as he stepped onto the metal bridge.

_He just left you with the biggest competitor over there, _Minoru said blandly, his eyes flicking to me as he stared across the bridge, obviously unimpressed. I hissed out a breathe, throwing up my hands. Of course he had. What a little rat. And I had actually been fooled for a moment.

Creeping in the shadows, I caught the flash of a toothy grin. The mammoth of a man had surely taken notice of who was left in the group and considering I was the smallest member, it must have been a relief.

"He's going to want a fight to the death," I said, the grimness of the situation sinking in. Big guys went down hard but I had been in too many fights to underestimate anyone. The streets had quickly taught me to restrain any sense of comfort, teaching me time after time with broken jaws and dislocated shoulders and partial guttings. I wasn't going to die in this stinking, rotten prison. And that meant that I would have to be quick. I was too small for long, endurance-related fighting. If this fight lasted longer than 15 minutes than I was going to be in real trouble. Grimacing, I cracked my neck. "Do you still have my daggers that Gon gave us?"

_It's broken still. _He dug around in the pouch at his stomach.

"Let's just hope I can fix it in time then," I whispered, the cool metal touching my palm as I sat down and went to work, unwinding the silky thread and carefully beginning to spool it again before I looked at the damage to the actual launching mechanism.

"My trial isn't one of physical strength or mental aptitude," a silky voice started from the depths of the withered mess of a prisoner now standing across from a smiling Ichihiro. "Instead we'll just have a simple, straight forward test of endurance."

Slowly, the torches around the platformed lowered, a smile curling the prisoner's gnarled face. Dragging himself over to one of them, he continued on. "I've been down here for ten years now… I've quiet missed the flames." That slimy smile grew, flashing yellowed teeth. "Tonight we'll be taking a trip down memory lane." Ichihiro didn't move, keeping a firm gaze on the prisoner. "Whoever can keep their hand in the flame the longest wins. Easy enough, right?"

Beside me, Minoru spluttered. _This guy's a fucking psychopath._

_Or he's trying to make it seem like he's a psychopath, _I threw out, not looking away from the little bit of progress that I had made. _Look at his hands._

_They're ugly - what about them?_

I grinned, reattaching my dagger to the end of the spool. _They're also shaking. Either he has some sort of nerve damage or he's scared._

Minoru frowned, his eyes narrowed as the little charade continued on.

"I wouldn't blame you if you decided to back out," the prisoner said slickly. I frowned, trying to move a bit faster as I tried to find a way to resecure my spool. I would have to get rid of the spring… "Damaging your whole arm in the middle of such an intense exa-"

"When are we starting?" I blinked, all thoughts of fixing anything emptying from my mind. Ichihiro was still smiling, his eyes crinkled shut as he moved a little bit closer to the flames. I had honestly assumed that he would forfeit. Even with my own assumptions, I wasn't entirely sure if I would risk the use of one of my arms. And I didn't even want to be in this stupid trial.

The slick sides of the inmates face crinkled, his whole body stiffening for a moment before he gave a shaky laughed, filled with a little too much bravado to make it real. For a moment, my eyes drifted to the ebony-haired man. There was something almost manic about his smile, a tightening around his eyes. Maybe even the odd tensing of his shoulders as if his entire body was leaning into the challenge.

Briefly, my mind flashed to the one other person who I had met in this place with the same desperate need for-

_Bloodlust_, Minoru whispered to me, his fur already standing up in agitation. The swirls of glittering red all along his hide pulsed, shivering in a nervous dance.

I didn't reply, working slowly on my weapon now as I kept my eyes trained on the platform. In the dim light of the prisoner's hallway, I saw the remaining two shift warily.

"Are you sure? This could ruin your chances for the rest of the competition," the prisoner's voice had taken on a tone that reminded me of glasses, shivering against winds that were too high.

"My dad used to tell me stories about the people locked up in this tower," Ichihiro murmured, his voice amiable, almost...nice as they drew closer to the torches that were now lowering slowly to waist level. The ebony in his eyes caught the flames, making them burn like hot coals as he grinned across the way at the prisoner. Something silvery caught the light, flashing across Ichihiro's palms so quickly that I barely had time-

_Knife, _Minoru hissed, yanking me to him with enough force to send me slamming into the tunnel walls. Shadows crowded around me as Minoru's considerable bulk surrounded me, his face pulled taut in a grimace.

A choked, wet sound echoed around the massive enclosure. "Strange. I always thought that you would be so much more..._impressive_."

Something thudded to the ground. And if I had to guess it would be the bloody body of Ichihiro's prisoner.

_That little bastard, _Minoru snarled, his eyes glinting dangerously as he finally moved away from me. Where I stood, a slim dagger was embedded in the dirt. Not a fatal shot but definitely a warning. I hissed, anger roaring to life inside of me. Hisoka was one thing in this infernal trial but some boy scout was a completely different thing.

"YOU LOSE!" The massive prisoner from before called, his voice booming around the area as Ichihiro crouched down, his face decidedly blank as he stared at the inmate that he had just sent a dagger through.

"How did I lose?" his voice was almost bored, his hands yanking the dripping blade from the now limp chest of his opponent.

My hands clenched, my teeth grinding. "It was a pain trial, Ichihiro! Who the hell told you to kill him?!"

"Ah," he murmured, standing up as our tally beeped down a point and our opponents went up. I was nearly frothing at the mouth. "Well I'm not a masochist so I obviously wasn't going to go along with that."

"YOU LITTLE VIPER!" I shrieked, the only thing keeping me from meeting him halfway across the bridge, Minoru's arm curled around my waist. I flailed, the dagger on the launching device that was still functioning flicking down as I jerked my wrist, catching it deftly in my hands. "AND YOU TRIED TO KILL ME TOO?! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE!"

The shit-eating grin that was spread across his face was enough to make me see straight red, Minoru giving a grunt as I kicked at him.

"SEND ME MY LUNCH!" The final inmate from before bellowed, the bridge creaking from his weight as he lumbered across.

"If I had wanted to kill you, you would know," Ichihiro said as he strolled past, his eyes closing to slits as he grinned up at me. They slid open, only barely, flicking to where my opponent was now standing. "I think you're making someone wait, _little mouse_."

I stilled, ice running through my veins. That was Hisoka's nickname for me. Ichihiro gave a small chuckle, going to lean up against one of the nearby walls. That hadn't been a coincidence. Which meant that Ichihiro had been listening to us. Had been watching us. For how long? At least since the Milsey Swamp trial. For what reason? My muscles knotted. I didn't know. But he had to know about my brothers. And his interests were obviously far more sinister than mild fascination.

"Let me down," I breathed.

Minoru looked at me skeptically. _Are you-"_

_I'm not going to kill him,_ I replied, never moving my eyes away from the ebony-haired man as he slowly cleaned his dagger. I had no clue if he had friends - no way to find out if his interested were centered around me only or my brothers as well. I wasn't going to risk them. Which meant… _We don't know if more tests require all of us. We need him for the rest of the trial._

Minoru's eyes narrowed but he set me on my feet. _Or we could kill him and cut that watch off of his cold, dead body. _I stared up at him, suddenly remembering why we had remained together for all of these years. He shrugged. _Just saying._

_We have to keep him alive. _My eyes narrowed on Ichihiro. _For now._

"I'M GETTING TIRED OF WAITING!" The inmate roared, stamping around like an overgrown toddler. Quickly I tucked my dagger device into Minoru's pouch, tightening the one that I still had.

"KEEP YOUR PANTS ON, BIG GUY!" I called, moving closer to Ichihiro. My whole body screamed for me to cut him up into little, hideable pieces. But that wasn't the smart thing to do. So I stilled myself, glowering down at him as he returned my stare with a smile. "If you call me that again, I'll cut off your balls and feed them to my bear."

_Um...ew?_ Minoru choked, his face pulling back in obvious disgust. Even so, when Ichihiro glanced his way he forced his face into a snarl. _I'm definitely not eating some skeezy guys' balls._

_Well, duh, obviously._ Giving Ichihiro a final glare I made my way briskly across the bridge and to the platform's edge. All the way back in our little alcove, the space had seemed minuscule. However, stepping foot in it made me think that it was about the size of a regular family's first floor.

"In some ways, I'm sorry that I had to break you in today, little girl," the ogre of a man said before his smile turned lecherous, his tongue reaching out to lick along his lips as he eyed me from head to toe. "In other ways, I'm not."

How was I supposed to respond to that? I glanced at the clock. We had already wasted two hours here. Not to mention that the blood from Ichihiro's opponent had seeped across the platform and was currently turning my shoes red.

"O-kay," I drew out.

"My trial-" He seemed like a talker. I really didn't need the whole doom and despair speech.

"Before you go any further," I cut in. "You want a fight to the death right?"

He blinked, taken aback. "Well...yeah-"

"Good. Kind of assumed by the whole tree-trunk vibe I'm getting from you." I cracked my knuckles, doing a couple of quick jumps to try and warm myself up a bit. "I accept your challenge so let's get started."

"Wait-"

A beep went off somewhere, echoing shrilly around the room.

If I had seemed confident - Well, it was because I was. Not necessarily because I thought I could beat the guy. No. In a fight, thinking like that was a way to severely hinder yourself. So in every fight, I treated it like it was my last. Like if I gave them too much time they could work themselves up to actually kill me. But that was a trick as well - because that in and of itself was fear. The fear of losing. The fear of dying. They all beat inside of me like a roaring stampede of elephants, keeping me wound so tight that it was a surprise I didn't snap.

It was all such a paradox. If you weren't confident then you would doubt yourself and end up dead. If you were confident than you would underestimate your opponent and end up dead. Like walking on a tight rope as thin as a single strand of hair, trying to balance between the certainty of one emotion.

My opponent changed from stillness to defense quicker than I anticipated.

"Quick-" I heard him whisper as if surprised seconds after I dodged the hit that was obviously meant for my ribcage.

I had been fighting big guys like him my entire life. So in a way, I supposed it was kind of unfair for me to fight him. I twisted, sending my knee forward as I sidestepped another punch, the air whispering along my skin as he gave a scream, his elbow popping inwards at an odd angle as it broke.

He wasn't used to fighting little girls that were faster than him.

I grabbed his broken arm, digging my fingers into the skin their as he reeled, my muscles burning as I yanked him over, sending his big body slamming to the ground. I was behind him before he could even take a breath.

Vaguely, as my fingers curled around his jaw, my other hand curling into the downy hair at his nape, I wondered what he had come in for. My eyes drifted to the soft skin along his palms. Probably identity theft with hands like those. I twisted.

_CRACK!_

* * *

_Ah, the days are starting to go by slower and slower! The first week was cool but I'm the type of person that needs to get out and run and do work and kind of scrunch my time to feel comfortable. IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY, GUYS! _

_How are you guys doing? What are you doing to pass the time? I feel a bit like that show on netflix where you're put in a room and they drop you off a box of crayons and some coloring books to get you by. It's like... The Circle? Is that right? Anyway, leave me a review! I love hearing from you guys._


	11. Chapter 11

"_15 minutes," Amori called out, his thumb clicking down on the stopwatch. I let out a long breath, frustration making me edgy. Beneath me, the ragdoll that we were using for our combat sessions thwacked to the ground as I let go of it's sagging head._

"_He's dead right?" I huffed out, yanking off my hoodie as sweat dribbled down my back. My eyes snapped to where Umori and Imori leaned against a tree trunk._

"_It's taking you too long to get behind him and even long to get him in a position that would allow for a quick death with blunt force trauma to the head," Umori called, scribbling something down in one of his many journals. Probably about how bashing people's skulls in took a surprising amount of restraint and strength._

_Amori leveled me with a hard look. "Again."_

* * *

"_15 minutes." I dropped my knife, looking at the place where our combat dummy had been hanging. Umori had been kicking it so that it would keep swinging and I had been trying to kill it with the small daggers that they had given me as a gift._

_I huffed out a breath, my fingers shaking, the knife slipping and sliding across my bloody hands. It was hard to keep it still, hard to be able to stab into something without having it slide up and slice your skin clean open._

"_You're knife got stuck in his gut too long," Imori rumbled out, his eyes flicking over the small incision at the dummy's abdomen._

_He shrugged as I sent him a glare. "That doesn't count. This isn't like real skin."_

"_If you think your blade isn't going to get caught in the human body - with all those layers of tendons and bones and organs - then you're severely underestimating this whole experience," Umori called, scribbling away at that stupid journal. "Again."_

* * *

"_15 minutes!" I let out a scream, half from frustration and half because I had tried to strangle this stupid dummy and had ended up rubbing my open cuts raws. Strips of meat hung from my hands like chewed up pieces of pork._

_I threw up in the bushes._

"_AGAIN, MORI!"_

* * *

15 minutes - such an odd amount of time when I actually thought back on it. In 15 minutes, I could clean my room. I could make dinner for my brothers and I.

And in 15 minutes I could kill a grown man or woman.

"You did that rather quickly," Ichihiro was saying, his smile thin and reptilian as he trailed behind Minoru and I. We had left the inmate trials a little over an hour ago and something inside of me felt almost hollowed out. Like, if anyone hit me they would find that my body was made out of wood and that my insides had been scooped out to accommodate… Accommodate what? My knack for speed? My ability to kill? I couldn't really tell.

"Would you have preferred that I made it slower?" I asked hollowly, working mindlessly at my broken launching system. It was almost fixed…

Ichihiro made a small sound, something like a breath being drawn in contemplation. "You know...I've been watching you-"

_Let me kill him,_ Minoru seethed, his eyes cutting back to the ebony-haired boy. My eyes flicked up to the stone ceiling, the hair at the top of my head whispering across the ceiling from my perch on his shoulders, catching the slight widening as the hallway became a bit larger. That more than likely meant that there would be a room coming up or a turn in the near future. I snapped on the dagger cover, the spool secured.

Ichihiro hadn't decided to act on some of the base urges that he had demonstrated only hours before in the arena. In fact, I hadn't sensed any sort of bloodlust from him since then. Which was vaguely disappointing. It meant that he was easily sated. And also that he was of little threat. If I was able to survive the knife's edge mentality of Hisoka's presence then succumbing to someone like Ichihiro would be pathetic.

"I've seen the way that Hisoka pays attention to you," he mused and I resisted the urge to show him just how much attention I was about to pay him if he didn't shut up. Gritting my teeth, I tightened the launching device onto my arm.

_I'm about to claw out his eyes, _Minoru snarled, his canine's flashing. He didn't take kindly to people threatening me. Which was basically all this conversation was amounting to: a pathetically veiled threat.

"Still…" he went on. "I think I'm faster than you… Ah, but that match was done in less than two minutes. But then again, I _am _slimmer than he was. Big oaf didn't even see it coming-"

Shutting my eyes, I tried to block out the overwhelming urge to strangle him. Slower than snapping someone's neck. Slower even then stabbing them to death. But to have one moment of silence - it had to be worth it right?

_We need him for the rest of this trial, _I reminded Minoru, also reminding myself as well. I flicked my wrist, nodding at the dagger flicked down with ease and I was able to catch it. _Besides, I don't want to kill anymore. Not today._

_Soft heart, _Minoru grumbled, huffing out a breath as Ichihiro chattered on behind us.

"You don't want to know why I attacked you?" Ichihiro called out.

Sighing, I turned to cast a tired eye at him. The truth was that I didn't particularly care why anyone decided to kill me. In the end, what were motives really? Just excuses? All I really needed to know was that they wanted me dead. From there it was only a sprint to see who would get the job done first. So far, I hadn't lost. "I suppose you have a rather rousing backstory?"

Ichihiro face stretched into a grotesque grin. "Nah. I'm just a bad guy looking to make it out of this with a hunter's badge. One less participant in the way seemed like a good option."

I stared at him, taking in the lean build, the limp hair. In another life, we might have been on the streets together. Here though… Here we were all a part of a game that I didn't fully think I was prepared for.

But at least I could respect his motives. Even if they seemed to only be a half-truth. Because if anyone would do then why had he been eavesdropping on my conversations?

_Mori_. I glanced up at my name, catching the identical doors sitting side-by-side and the flickering tv display. Minoru's eyes ran over it_. It says that one door will lead to certain death and the other to the promise land. Our choice._

I gritted my teeth. It was annoying to not know the exact way that had been said. Deep frustration made my head beat with a vague headache, my stomach tightening. It was becoming more and more apparent that maybe my inability to read was going to be a problem. My finger's tightened in Minoru's fur. God forbid if I ever separated from him.

"I don't particularly care which way we go," Ichihiro piped up, his hands slipping into his pockets as he grinned up at us. "You two are the majority anyway so the decision is yours."

I frowned. Great. Just peachy. What was I supposed to say to that? Thanks? You've made my life so much easier with your lack of commitment and overall douchiness? Disgusted, I turned to Minoru, catching the critical way that his eyes were running over the screen.

_I have no clue. _I blinked. Not the answer that I was expecting. _The stupid board doesn't give anything other than what I told you. No clues._

I mulled that over, staring at the odd shapes on the screen. Shrugging, I glanced at Minoru. _I've always liked left over right._

For a moment, the giant bear stared at me, his face impassive.

Finally, he tipped his head to the side, sighing. _Sounds good to me._

Without another word, we both pressed down on the left button on our watches, Ichihiro tapping a random button on his watch. Slowly, the slab of metal that made up the door slid out of the way, baring the dark ebony of the room beyond to our eyes. My gut tightened.

Silence, deep and full in the darkness of the chamber beyond, pressed out at us.

"Oh, spooky," Ichihiro mused, his head tipping to the side as he inched closer. "What do you think it is?"

"I'd guess that route that leads to hell," I said, my lips curling in frustration. Having it harder might make you feel more accomplished in the end, but I would have been perfectly happy if we had gotten the easy way through. So far the rest of the paths had been a mix between mind-numbing boredom and silly tricks like a hall of mirrors or floating floors that collapsed under you. This had to be the last stretch. Already we had wasted about 10 hours and I was starting to get really pissed off.

Ichihiro grinned up at me, edging closer to the threshold of the door. Not to mention that being with him made my skin crawl.

_I'm not going into a dark room with this psychopath, _Minoru snorted as I jumped down from his shoulders, my daggers flicking into my hands.

"It's either stay here and stare at the walls or get this mess over with," I muttered, glancing towards Ichihiro with a sharp smile. "Rodents first."

"Ah, my heart," he yelped, his hand clawing at the material of his shirt for a moment before he was slipping into the darkness of the room. "Words hurt, little mouse."

Blood boiled just beneath the surface of my skin. I hated the way he said that. I hated that he was using it as a way to demean me. Anger beat through me like a serpent slithering through my veins, biting at my organs. I would kill him before this exam was over.

"They're here," a high pitched voice whispered, almost giddily, his voice echoing off the walls.

"They're here," another deeper voice echoed and my heart sunk as that whisper was echoed seven more times. Beside me, I felt Minoru dropped onto all fours, a low rumble working through him.

I stopped where I was, the daggers in my hands growing heavy as I waited. I couldn't hear Ichihiro's steps anymore. He had drifted away somewhere along the line.

But I did hear the shuffle of other feet. Nine other people were moving in the darkness around is. If one of them just stepped into the shaft of light created by the door-

A low rumble made my head snap around, a whispered curse echoing through the air as that door slid shut, the excited of murmur of the people in the shadows filling my ears.

_Where the fuck is Ichihiro? _Minoru let out a roar, his sides expanding as the inmates around us whispered excitedly to us.

My feet spread a little bit further, my mind sharpening as the smell of sweat and dirt and unwashed skin forced its way into my nose. There was only a small sliver of light now, just enough to see behind us. But that would be gone in seconds-

"If we kill them then we'll be free by tomorrow," an excited voice gasped and it was so close to my side that I would feel the air. I stilled.

_Kill them, _Minoru snarled. _Kill them before they kill us._

_Ichihiro-_

_Is going to watch as we bleed out, _he bit out, letting lose another roar as the inmates drifted closer to us, ghosts in a sea of darkness. _He might even already be dead, lying somewhere in this room._

He was right. I shut my eyes, my ears and nose sharpening. If we didn't start fight now then they would be on us in seconds. Once that sliver of light was gone, I had a feeling that it would be open season. I also had a feeling that they were able to see a lot better in this darkness than us. Fuck Ichihiro.

The warm splash of blood, bathed my stomach, seeping through the cotton of my tank top as I drove dagger to the side.

"SHE CUT ME!" that high voice shrieked and I yanked out my dagger, dancing to the side and driving my dagger once more into the exposed side of my opponent. Distantly, I heard the intake of breaths and then the thud of a body at my feet.

They could see in the dark but there were other ways to know if someone was attacking you if you didn't have your eyes. I crouched, feeling the soft stone beneath my skin as the other inmates surged towards me. The stank of them was enough to make me thankful for my nose and even more thankful for my ears. I was a better listener than most people knew and already I could tell that three of them were coming up to my left and that they were going to try and get me tied up in the fallen body of their friend.

Just across the room, I heard Minoru give another roar, some poor schmuck slamming into the wall so hard that a chunk of stone came off. Darkness didn't matter to animals. Minoru could see in the dark, no problem.

Tensing, I waited. Five paces away… two… I snapped out, whipping to the side and sending my foot into an exposed calf before I turned again, catching the one beside him with the hilt of my dagger into his chin. Blood sprayed across my face as they sunk into the vulnerable underside of their throats.

"Holy-" the last inmate breathed and I slid into a crouch once more, driving my daggers into his knees.

Hell wasn't a place in some tower. It was a person. And right now, Minoru and I were going to be that for them.

* * *

_Hey guys! Another chapter down. Currently, trying to get through The Starless Sea but I'm a little dense when it comes to symbolism and dreamy kinds of tales so I am st-rug-al-ing, honey. How's the reading going for ya'll?_


	12. Chapter 12

_Drip_.

I dragged myself towards the door, my bones giving a silent protest as I kept a steadying hand to the wall.

_Drip_.

Beside me, Minoru gave a soft snort, the fur of his sides brushing against me and painting my skin in another layer of grime and blood.

My blades had slid up and sliced through the vulnerable skin of my palm, leaving my hands raw, the tendons underneath bare, red and shining even in the low light that was filtering through from the gaslights above.

When we had succeeded in killing off our last attacker, the lights had flickered on, illuminating the grotesque slaughter that had taken place in the dark. Minoru's teeth had still been clenched down on the guy's calf, the muscles in my arms straining as I gave his neck a final squeeze, my back hitting the cold, wet surface of the wall behind me as his body gave out.

We hadn't needed to share any words, taking in the overwhelming swirl of stairs as they spiraled from the ground, up, up, up, crawling along the wall until I couldn't see the top from my vantage point.

_Drip, drip._

_Does that look like a door?_ I winced, trying to ignore the slicing pain that was spiking up my arms, the urge to sit down and scream whenever I looked down at the gnarled mess of my hands. Permanent damage had crossed my mind more times than I wanted to admit.

Beside me, Minoru looked grim, his face pinching further and further inward each step we took. His side was killing him. Briefly, my mind flashed through all the possible injuries that he could have. How strong would a kick to the side have to be to cause internal damage?

_I don't want to get my own hopes up_, he replied gravely.

And on we went, our injuries and the blood of all the people low, low, below us, following up like a noisy companion. _Drip, drip, drip._

_Door_, Minoru grunted, his head tipping towards where the gaslights flickered against the shadow of a slot cut into the wall. Just above its top frame, a monitor blinked to life. Congratulations, contestant 200. I heard Minoru let out a snarl before one of his great paws came up, his claws flashing as they tore through the puny little thing. Glass twinkled to the ground along with the chunkier metal pieces, making me pause as I sent him a glower.

_Real mature_, I said bluntly as a sliver of light peeked from just below where the slab of solid concrete was currently being lifted. An agonized groan echoed through the cylinder that we were currently trapped in. My skin itched with sweat, grime and an uncomfortable sensation that I was a rat stuck in a large lab, running around a maze as someone watched me from the outside.

_Your hands look like shit._

That did it. He was being a complete tramp. I shoved Minoru out of the way as the sliver grew high enough for me to slip under into the blinding light of the next resting area for the hunter's exam. I couldn't deal with him when it got like this. He hated killing - hated the way he had to use his teeth and the blood got all in his fur. In all honesty, I hated it too. In the moment, their deaths were immediate - the only answer. And the fact that this was the only answer made it worse. Why did it have to be? Why couldn't I stop? Why couldn't I just incapacitate them and be done with it?

I had tried once. That was the night that Mrs. Wetherman's goons had broken my arm in three places and fractured my ribs. The one time I had tried to restrain myself and I had been dumped at the edge of the city - left there for a day and a half until my brother's had hunted me down. The truth of the matter was that I wasn't skilled enough to stop. And maybe I was a little bit scared. Maybe I was scared that if I didn't stop them then I would end up like I had back then - thrown into a bush still covered in my own bile and waste, tears and blood mixing across my cheeks.

_A hard life_ \- that's what my mom had called it once. _We live a hard life to make us stronger, panda._

But I don't think it made me stronger. I think it made me harder like a slab of dirt watered down and mashed up and tossed into the oven until it becomes clay.

"Holy shit." I blinked, yanking myself out of my own self-loathing thoughts as Minoru came lumbering through the door that had opened for us. Quickly, I scanned over the faces, looking first for my brothers...but-

"YOU SLIMY LITTLE SCUMBAG-" I lurched forward as Ichihiro's grinning face greeted me, sitting comfortably on the other side of the hall. Behind me, Minoru let out a roar that shook the very walls around us and sent more than one contestant skittering to press themselves against the wall. My hands gave a scream of agony as my daggers clicked down, sinking into the raw, torn flesh of my hands.

But I didn't care. I was going to rip his head off in this room. I was going to make him regret ever leaving Minrou and I in such danger. Slinking off to safety while we fought against nine prisoners in the dark. If Minoru had gotten hurt-

"No fighting amongst contestants until specifically instructed," a voice squawked through the loudspeaker. I didn't care. My aching muscles warmed, the ache simmering to a barely-there tiredness. I could fight him - I had enough energy left, _just _enough.

Teeth bit into my tank top, the sound of tearing cloth bringing me to an abrupt halt. _Not worth the exam. _I gave a low growl my eyes on that stupid smirk that was curling Ichihiro's lips. Minoru dragged me back another step, his breath hot against the nape of my neck. Not worth jeopardizing your brother's places as well.

I flinched, my stomach rolling. My brothers. I jerked to the side, meeting Minoru's black, glinting eyes. _This is my choice. They wouldn't lump us together like that._

His head tipped to the side, his ears twitching. _Wouldn't they?_

For a moment, we stared at each other in tense silence, each of us tugging against the common thread, on opposite ends of the same line. My brothers - I felt a familiar lump growing in my throat, thinking about the past years. Their constant training. Sudden determination after the first time they had done the test. That light that had flared to life - a direct. Finally a direction, something that they had to work towards, not just the daily grind of stealing food and loose change.

I couldn't take that away from them. I couldn't even risk it. Not when they had given me so much.

The whirl of my blades going back into the straps at my biceps cut through the tense silence, Minoru's teeth loosening.

"Well, well, well," a deep voice chuckled, someone's fingers ruffling through my hair. I glanced up, catching the familiar scent of something sweet filling my nose. Hisoka's golden gaze met mine, his eyes moving slowly over the blood that had soaked through my tank top, his brows furrowing as he caught sight of the wounds that were still leaking down the edge of my blades. Something flickered across his face, something strange and foreign and apparently altogether disturbing for him because he covered it with a light smile. "It seems you've been having fun without me. Who's your friend, mousie?"

I glowered, debating whether or not to play along or to go sulk in a corner. But the way that Ichihiro's eyes were running over Hisoka… like he was thinking about what dish he would best be served alongside. I narrowed my eyes. Beside me, Hisoka's head tipped to the side, his lips curling in an almost derisive sort of sneer.

"I'd like to introduce you to our third exam companion, Ichirhiro," I said with as much forced calm as I could push into my voice. I held my tongue against the rest of what I wanted to say.

For his part, Ichirhiro was taking the attention of a man who had nearly butchered an examiner the year prior in measured strides. His smile had slimmed, turning into something almost cautious.

A low laugh slid from the much taller man, his fingers slipping from the sweaty, tangled mess of my hair as he moved to just in front of me, his hands slipping casually to toy with a playing card. His golden eyes flicked to me, deadly amusement making the way that that card flicked from finger to finger sound sharp and dangerous. "Want me to kill him?"

Was it bad of me to actually contemplate it?

The other contestants shifted warily, drawing away from Ichihiro. The ebony-haired boy took all of it in with a contemplative sort of attention, his eyes flicking from the space around him to Hisoka as if he were debating his odds. I let a sneer curl my lips. If he thought for a second that he could take on Hisoka than he was more than stupid - he was one degree short of stupid.

"No," I said slowly, my voice raw. His offer was genuine, I realized. If I said yes, then Ichihiro would be dead in a second.

Against the wall, Ichihiro finally broke his silence, his voice mocking. "How generous."

I let out a snarl, my own voice drowning beneath the low growl that Minoru gave from behind me. My eyes caught the ebony-haired man's with disgust. "You're not worth it."

With that I turned away, not wanting to be near him any longer. He had already taken enough of my time and energy. If the time came later, I would deal with him. For now, if he stayed away from me, I would let it slide. I was already covered in blood as it was. I didn't need anymore.

"Meet someone interesting while we were apart?" I glanced up at the casual question, watching with interest as Hisoka gave me a small smirk. Was that a genuine smile? It couldn't be. Hisoka didn't do anything genuinely. And why did he say it like that? Like we had more than a harasser - harassee relationship?

I decided to answer cautiously, tearing my gaze away from his golden one. "None more interesting than you, Hisoka."

The dry chuckle I got in reply was enough of an answer.

"I'll see you around, _mousie_."

My body moved before I could think, my fingers finding the playing card that Hisoka was still toying with and yanking it from Hisoka's grip as I whirled towards Ichihiro.

There were many things that I would later find to be ill-advised. One of the main ones would be taking a weapon from someone who was always on the verge of a murderous rage. But in life, I've found that there are a variety of things that we tell ourselves not to do. And a majority of them are broken within the evening. _Today's not a good day to get drunk, Martha. Only one and then you go home. _Or _that boy has been staring at you for the last hour, Saiichi. No. Don't look again. He's the bad type. Can't you tell from the haircut?_

I didn't realize at the time that that card felt completely normal, flimsy even in a used way. But I had seen Hisoka use them before. And I had been watching. So when I threw it with a precision that I saved for my daggers, I coated the corners in my own aura and let it fly, forcing all of the anger and frustration into that one motion.

A stillness fell over the others gathered in the room. From over in the corner, I felt more than saw the pinned contestant that Hisoka had warned me away from, fall completely silent.

Still sitting against the wall, Ichihiro's face had grown startlingly still. A sliver of blood leaked from a slim line running along his cheek. Embedded in the wall beside his ear, the playing card had cracked through the stone.

Slowly, I straightened, feeling suddenly drained. My knees almost gave out, I was so exhausted. I could feel the blood slowly drying along my arms and neck, making my tank top stiff. I probably looked like a doll that had accidentally fallen into a pot of spaghetti sauce. Around me, I caught the whisps of aura, wavering, wilting a bit as if it were a cloth just put to the wash. Hisoka's cards had always been coated in the stuff so I had thought… Had I made a mistake?

It was taking all I could to keep myself standing. Against the wall, Ichihiro was still staring at me, expectant, almost mocking.

And Hisoka… I avoided his gaze, feeling it drilling into the side of my head like a physical thing. And his aura - there it was, skirting along mine like it was debating whether to start toying with me or leave me be.

"I'll see you in the next match, Ichihiro." I straightened, forcing false bravado into my voice, a steely tilt of my hips that made it seem like I could run another mile if I was really pressed. I gave a smirk. "I hope it's a bloody one."

False. I hoped it was a sleeping contest.

I would use the last of my energy to walk to the other side of the room, choosing a spot just behind the food cart so that I wouldn't have to look at anyone. And so that they wouldn't be witness to my injuries as well as my exhaustion.

"Hm…" A warm, muscled arm landed heavily on my shoulders, making me stumble slightly as Hisoka fell into step just beside me. Behind us, taking the walk at a slower pace, Minoru gave a growl. Golden eyes ran over me, taking in the slump of my shoulder, the sweat that was running down my neck. He missed nothing. That's why I was surprised when his arm moved softly from my shoulders to my waist, taking some of my weight without the bat of an eye. "Interestingly enough, I don't remember teaching you that little trick, pet."

His eyes were penetrating, his smile sharp.

I didn't blink, feeling his fingers tighten at their place at my waist. Behind me, I could almost feel Minoru's contempt. Grunting, the big bear lumbered over to the wall, curling in a position that let his back be firmly towards me.

I glanced back at where Hisoka loomed above me. "I'm a quick study."

The sharp prick of nails along my throat made me pause as I started to pull away, my pulse picking up as Hisoka drew closer to me, his chest brushing mine. His voice went soft, his golden eyes searing into mine. "Or you're keeping secrets."

My eyes narrowed. What did he want me to say? I was a secret agent? If anything, that seemed to be more his lane than mine. What was a guy driven by his own ulterior motives doing playing in the kiddy pool?

My voice dropped as I glared up at him. "That's the pot calling the kettle black…"

For a moment, pregnant silence hung heavily between us, his nails still a very real threat at my throat. If he really wanted to, he could beat me to a pulp and set a very real example for the rest of the contestants. And it wouldn't have surprised me. In my current state, I was going to put up little of a fight.

"You know…" Hisoka started slowly, his eyes crinkling as if he seemed to savor the words that he was about to use. "We have a word for people like you. They're called geniuses."

I tried not to show the shock that coursed through me at that word - genius. I couldn't even read. My words came out less enthused than I thought possible, my fingers reaching up to tap along his until he released me. Reluctantly.

"Interesting." _You liar,_ I thought bluntly as I turned away and walked the few feet to where Minoru was curled, settling against his side. "You don't mind if we continue this conversation sitting down?"

I didn't wait for his response.

My body gave a gasp of relief, my feet throbbing happily as I got off of them. I wasn't surprised when Hisoka folded himself in front of me, looking like a leopard that had just found a particularly meaty but all-and-all ditzy zebra to take down. Everything about him seemed to hold a feline sort of grace, a sly disposition that reflected through him like the flick of a tail.

One long finger wandered to just below my chin, tipping my face up so that he could run those stunning golden eyes over me. Examining me like an item that he had found in a garbage chute and cleaned up to discover that it was a diamond vase. His voice was low, harsh when he finally spoke again. "You know that people would pay for someone of your abilities. They would pay a great deal to get to mold you…"

"To do whatever they liked," I finished for him. I wasn't stupid. Even though I was an uneducated brat, I knew once I saw him fight that I could do a lot more with the few, fumbling lessons that my ma had given me. She had never told me that you could actually use that stuff that I had seen swimming around people. She had never told me that if I wanted to, I could make a feeble, flimsy playing card break stone and slice a man clean open. I stared up into Hisoka's glinting eyes, catching those familiar glints of green again. "Are you going to tell those people about me?"

The silence that followed my question should have been concerning. Most people used silence to maneuver around questions that they didn't like. Not Hisoka. Hisoka was strong and with strength came the ability to speak the things that you wanted to. He didn't need to lie. He already knew that he could knock me out and sell me to whatever creatures he knew of. I didn't know what he meant by "genius." I wasn't smart - not smart enough to manipulate or bring down someone powerful. Perhaps he was wrong and I really was just a quick learner.

"No," he finally whispered, letting his finger drop as he kept my gaze. For a moment, he stared down at me, his brain ticking away at some calculation that I'm sure I would never be able to fathom before he turned his gaze to the bloody mess of my hands. "Did I mention that you look ravishing in red?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "In an hour, it'll be brown." His grin was dark and sinful, his hands flicking out to his waist where - I blinked, taken aback. Tied around his waist was my hoodie. Cautiously, I watched as he took it off, surprised when he handed it to me with a quirked brow. "This is...nice...of you."

"You seem surprised," he observed.

Swiftly, I took off my tank top, ignoring the way that Hisoka's eyes burned along my skin, his smirk going dark as his gaze heated. Deftly, I yanked the hoodie over my head, glad for the clean, solid feel of it and - I drew the hood over my silvery hair, taking a breath - there was that strange, sweet scent again. His scent. "You kicked Minoru in the side hard enough to cause lasting damage."

That brow quirked again. "He's walking, isn't he?"

I resisted the urge to smile, annoyance combating with the urge to concede that Hisoka could have done far worse. In that battle, he had restrained himself. "Do you usually gloat about allowing your opponents to walk away?"

"No," he murmured with a smirk, his eyes twinkling. "Usually I gloat about how quickly I killed them."

For some reason, I didn't believe that either. Hisoka, no matter his flaws, wasn't a gloater. Gloating was for people that were easily amused. No. Fawning over his accomplishments seemed like it would bore him.

His eyes ran over me once more, quick, calculating. "You should sleep."

I scoffed. "Around you?"

His golden eyes glinted, his smile deadly. "Haven't you heard? No killing until a later date."

"Yes. You seem like a very passive person. I'm sure that you always follow the rules."

His smile was positively evil. "When it benefits me."

He wouldn't kill me, I decided, curling in on myself and sinking into Minoru's side. At least, he wouldn't kill me in my sleep. Too easy. Not enough of a challenge. And maybe more than that...maybe I thought even without the boredom factor he still wouldn't. Maybe… maybe I was beginning to trust him.

I shuddered at the thought.

* * *

_I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who have decided to follow this story and who have graced me with taking the time out to not only read my stuff but also give me a little love by reviewing when they have the time. You guys are the reason I keep pressing and I hope that you enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy writing for you. Who said that a little moment to escape from everyday unfairness was a bad thing?_


	13. Chapter 13

Gentle hands were turning my own over, separating my fingers to examine the raw flesh there. A sweet smell like… like chocolate or sweets - carnival food, I realized, something sweet and doughy. I had never been to the fair before. Only looked at it from afar, watching the glitter of lights and listening to the screams of joy that filtered to the surrounding town.

But I had never forgotten the smells, my childish mind clinging onto the buttery smell of roasted popcorn and sugary, bubbling drinks. And more than that, the cinnamon almonds and yeasty, fried dough drenched in pillowy clouds of powdered sugar.

Against my head, Minoru gave a snore, his flank expanding, pushing me a bit closer to the looming figure gently moving my hands this way and that.

"You smell like a carnival," I whispered groggily, still dazed from my deep sleep. I was half drunk off of the feeling of having my first sleep after nearly 14 hours awake and moving. I blinked, my eyes fighting against the action as the dimmed lights of the hall finally filtered in.

Hisoka was sitting cross-legged in front of me, his long fingers working my hands this way and that as he tried to get a better look at the ripped skin. They were almost torn completely in half, the skin at my palm sawed through to create a disjointed, bloody picture. Beside him, sat a small white bottle, a pile of cloth, a needle, and thread.

The rest of the hall had seemed to reach a lull, the contestants remaining at a solid for the last hour or so. It had taken me the first two hours of falling in and out of sleep to realize that I was safe with Hisoka. More than safe, I was cocooned. No one drifted nearer to our small, dark area of the hall. Each person only daring to glance in our direction before nervously avoiding us.

For his part, Hisoka played cards, his hands moving in methodical sweeps even as he performed the most outlandish tricks. He seemed thoroughly unfazed by the stares, his face slipping into a bored sort of diligence as if he were forcing himself to go along with the program. Which I supposed he was, in a way.

Not for the first time, I wondered why.

"You always watch me with the most penetrating expression on your face," he mused now, his voice a low murmur even as he kept his eyes on my hand.

"I would have thought that you were used to being stared at by now," I answered immediately, my senses slowly waking up. And with it, my pain. My whole body ached - some sharp and others a dull thrum from over-use. I had more than one bruise. I could see them swirling along my legs, the tones creating an oddly beautiful web, like the nest of a spider.

Slowly, one corner of his lips tilted up into a thin smile. "Yes. I am rather handsome."

"I didn't say that," I grumbled, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of thinking that I found him attractive.

Unwilling my eyes roamed along the fox-like curves of his face. The way that his hair spiked up, creating an unruly red mess around his face. There was a sly-ness to his features that made him seem infinitely amused at a joke that no one else was in on. Was that why so many found him unnerving? I could see it in the way that they all shifted when they saw him. As if they were trying to seem strong and yet subservient, a weapon that Hisoka could use if only he would speak to them.

"There it is," he breathed, his eyes still focused on my wounds as he switched to my other hand. Still, there was something ravenous in his eyes even as he continued his inspection, his smile turning hungry. "That stare. Like you're looking into a pool trying to see the koi." Finally, slowly, his gaze like melting honey met my own, his body looming over me as he slid a bit closer. "Tell me, poor little mouse. What do you see?"

What did I see? I mulled it over, my gaze running over the sharp cheekbones and strong jaw, the muscles of his biceps and forearms. He had to be very strong even without his little card tricks. My eyes scanned over his tapered waist and strong thighs. And incredibly fast. I had seen all that and more in the clearing though.

What did I see? Self-absorbed. Narcissistic. Talented. Smart. Too smart. It would have been better if he was a talented dumbass. I frowned, mentally bashing him as he smiled down at me. He allowed people to live even when he was easily able to kill them. Why? My stomach knotted. Because we were entertaining. His words drifted through my mind like the rustling of leaves. He had asked me to read him like I was his personal fortune teller.

I smiled a thin, cold flash of my teeth. "I see a sociopathic murderer who delights in the despair of his victims."

For a moment, I thought I had gone too far. His aura, pink and sugary broadened, pushing against me like a wounded child about to throw a tantrum. Something sharp and present flashed through his eyes. Something that looked all too much like...pain? _No_. That wasn't the right word for what I saw.

But then it was settling and Hisoka's face fell into a pout, his gaze slipping back to the wounds at my hands. "That was an easy one." Slowly, a smirk curls his lips, his eyes glinting devilishly. "You do have to admit that my company is more amusing than any other though. Normal people are so dull."

I rolled my eyes. "Ask me a more specific question next time," I suggested, relief at the passing of a possible attack making me sink back into Minoru as he gave a soft snort in his sleep.

"But really maybe I have coddled you too much," he mused, setting my hand down on his lap with enough gentleness to make me frown. I didn't trust his gentleness. It seemed to come with invisible strings. Slowly, he threaded the needle, cinching it tight before he brought it up to glint in the low light. His smile was positively unholy. "This may hurt."

It did hurt. A lot.

Not only did he seem to delight in my white-lipped, panting form but he kept chastising me every time I flinched. It was a religious baptizing, his method methodical and calm as he drenched my hand in something that stung and smelled like chemicals and then started the process of sewing my wound closed.

Hellish. The whole experience was something out of my worst nightmare, his eyes flashing with mocking sympathy as he hushed me.

"You look quite cute this helpless," he mused as he knotted his last stitch and snipped the thread with his nails. I panted, feeling the final zings of agony course up my arms, tickling my scalp. His tongue ran along his bottom lip as his eyes tracked a dribble of sweat that slipped down my throat. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

I blinked, taken aback and a bit horrified at the flash of heat that was surely reddening my face. Gritting my teeth, I sent him a flustered glare. "That's a rude question. And completely impolite to ask."

He blinked, a bemused expression darkening his expression. "Is it?"

Slowly, he unwound some gauze and I briefly wondered how he had acquired it. An inside examiner? A friend? My eyes drifted to where the man with all the pins sat just a little to the left of us. His eyes were closed but there was a tenseness to his body that suggested otherwise as if he didn't need his eyes to see every inch of the room around him. Instinctively, I burrowed a bit further into Hisoka's side, making him grunt softly in his sleep, his head tossing to the side as he blew out a gust of steamy air.

Hisoka's striking gaze met mine once more as he smeared some salve onto the stitched wound, the sharp scent of comfrey leaves mixed with the duller smell of calendula flowers bursting through the air. For a moment, my hand gave a sizzle of discomfort, a clean sort of pain that felt almost religious.

"Only cheap blades with no blade guard would open your hands like this," he observed softly, his eyes filled with distaste as they lingered along the wound. "Are you poor?"

"Again," I hissed, riled beyond belief as shame seared my face. A poor virgin, I thought hatefully, glaring up at Hisoka with rage. He may have been helping me but he was throwing as many insults in as he could. "Rude."

He blinked, looking slightly bemused at the information. A thin frown marred his lips, a look of mild unhappiness crossing his face. "I didn't think that was particularly bad," he admitted. "You are though. Poor. Your little launching device is handmade and marked from you constantly having to tinker with it because the parts are just scraps. And your daggers are cheap little things for street children."

I couldn't take it anymore. I yanked my hand away, ignoring the resulting pain that zinged up my arm. Snarling, I curled back and away from him, my back hitting the stone walls of the tower as he watched, looking like a wolf that had found a particularly amusing rabbit to play with. "Do you find it amusing to insult me?"

His brows drew together and for the first time, I thought I heard his voice dip with genuine honesty. "No." His eyes drifted to the side, that same confused mix of emotions shifting across his face, his aura had receded, lapping at the space around him like a chastised cat. "I always thought of life as a game of bad luck. When you begin abandoned, poor you only have an upward climb to complete. What do you have when you start from the rich?"

For a moment, I stared at him in stubborn silence. I didn't want to forgive him… but there was something about the sad flick of his aura that made my indignation crumble. Slowly, I held out my hand again, watching as he slid a bit closer, his eyes assessing as he gently took my fingers and splayed my hand across his lap once more for the gauze.

"You're forgiven," I finally murmured, my voice still sullen with ire. "But you can't go around asking people if their poor or - or street children and expect them to be okay with it. It's basic human decency."

His lips curled sardonically. "Human decency? That's entertaining." His smile became deadly. His eyes ran over me with a precision that flayed me. "What makes your way of acting any better than mine? What have the people in this room ever given you? What makes you think that they'll offer you anything besides a knife in the back?"

I frowned up at him, trying to work around his reasoning. He had a point, I realized grimly, catching the expressions of subtle hatred on each of their expressions as they cast quick glances in our direction. Hisoka's head bowed over my hands once more, his eyes attentive as he wrapped my fingers and palm tightly. They would kill me sooner than I wanted to admit, I realized. Coming in covered in blood and screaming had just made them view me as a unique opponent, one who they clearly thought would be easy enough to defeat. It would puff up their ego to see me wounded, validating their feelings for not only me but Hisoka as well.

But I wouldn't tell him that. Admitting it would only serve to make him preen about. "I usually favor those that don't threaten to kill my brothers and I on our first meeting."

Golden, honey-sweet eyes flicked up to meet mine, a smirk curling his lips as he seemed to entertain the criticism. "Would you have liked if I fawned over you, mousie? Have I not been paying you enough attention?"

I rolled my eyes. No. He had been paying me enough attention. A bit too much if the expressions on the other contestant's faces was an answer. I held my silence, focusing more on the dips and valleys of his aura as it swirled around him. It was odd, seeing such a potent mass of energy around someone and more than that… My eyes drifted to the pin-man and then to Ichihiro as he slept across the room. They both seemed to hold the same danger but I couldn't even see a wisp of aura. My eyes narrowed, fighting against the instinctive frustration of not knowing something that seemed to be so apparent.

"There," Hisoka murmured finally, his smile sharp as he moved my hands away. His head tipped to the side as he closed his eyes in a dangerous pantomime of humor. "You seem to be quiet a troublesome pet."

I blinked, pushing down the swell of fear as his aura pulsed around him. "Is this where you threaten to kill me because I'm so weak?"

His eyes opened to slits, the golden depths smug. "No. Believe it or not, your proving to be interesting. And…" He leaned a bit closer, his big body cocooning me until his bulky form was the only thing that I could see. "Your knack for… auras… is very interesting."

There was more to that. I could sense it in the way that he paused around that word - aura. Like it wasn't quite right. As if he wanted to say something else entirely. My eyes drifted along the strong line of his jaw and that wicked curve of a smirk. He could teach me a lot, I realized guardedly. I wondered what he would ask for in return?


	14. Chapter 14

There were dreams I had. Dark dreams of my life before my brothers. Dreams like fireflies stuck inside a jar when dawn comes, flicking between blinding brightness and the quiet dark of sleep. I remembered my mother laughing. I remember the taste of honey cookies when we were able to scrounge the goods from the forest and market. I remember my room, my small cot of straw and blankets but more than that I remember my mother's, the scrape of her homespun blankets and the smell of lavender on her pillows.

I remember the moment that I brought Minoru to my mother, her face so familiar that I can remember it even after years of missing it. Odd. It's odd to lose a face that you once cherished because even though you'll always remember it there's a brightness to memories that fades the features. Like trying to remember something in color when all you can see is black and white.

"I haven't given him a name yet," I proclaimed proudly, running a hand along the soft blue fur at his head. Frowning, I dragged him forward, wagging a finger at the doleful, black eyes. "I found him so he's mine now."

Memories like these are best left in the past. They hurt. They make my stomach turn. There's a dimness to them that makes me half-crazy. And more than that, something always felt wrong. Like a part of the picture was missing. Just gone from my memory.

Because I could never really see Minoru in these memories. Flashes like my hand clutching his or the glassy orbs of his eyes but never any words. I didn't get those until...after… after she- _No_.

"Panda-honey." My eyes snapped up to my mother's face, the crisp lines there tired and… wary. Like she wasn't sure how to respond to me. Briefly, her gaze slid to Minoru, cinching tight for a moment before she forced a stiff smile. "You know he's not yours-"

"He is," I pressed stubbornly. "I found him. You left him outside and I-"

Why did I always use that word? _Found_? _Outside_? Such a strange choice. What about his parents? Surely-

"Honey." There was that edge, something like agitation curling her lips further down. "We've gone over this before. That creature is not-"

And that's where it ends. Like running through a wooded area only to see a cliff's edge too late and sprint over it.

There was a sort of comfort to these long spans of blankness. Like my mind was pulling me away from something too painful for me to fully grasp. Cocooning me from- From what?

* * *

"What the hell happened to her hands?"

"What do you think? She never cares about her own safety."

The sound of yelping as someone hit another. "We knew those daggers were garbage. I told you we should have gotten her new ones and not those pathetic shoes."

"...But we match now…"

I blinked groggily, my mouth cottony from snoring. Against me, I could feel a stiffness that meant that Minoru was already awake.

"I like these shoes," I rasped out, rubbing my eyes as I forced myself into a sitting position.

My brothers, covered in dirt and cobwebs were kneeling just in front of me, their faces brutish per usual. They all still held that street in their features, strong jaws that could take a hit, corded arms that were used to scrounging through dumpsters and swinging when they got caught. And more than that, there was a raw hunger in their eyes. Even though we had long since found a way to keep our stomachs from keeping us up at night, their cheekbones and fingers still held the feral hunger that only real starvation could give a human.

"They make us look like we're part of a hardcore up and coming boy group," I sighed, smiling as Imori sat down beside me, his eyes shrewd as he handed me a wrap and water. They had been giving us food around the clock, a little cart stocked full at the far end of the tower. He was always the more observant, more studied one of my brothers.

That was probably why his eyes were darting over my bandaged hands. Who helped you, they seemed to say. I smiled into the next gulp of water. That seemed like a bad course of action.

Absently, my eyes roamed around the space, immediately falling on where Hisoka sat, his back against the wall as he made a pyramid from his cards. As if sensing my gaze, the deep cat-like gaze of his flicks up, a smirk curling his lips. A promise and a threat.

"We've never come this far," Amori mused, his voice suddenly soft with awe. Suddenly, looking at the way that he was looking around this dirty room with no windows, smelling of sweat and dirt and blood, I felt bad. I felt bad for being angry with them for wanting more than the shit-hole that we had grown up in. His eyes glittered as he looked back at us. "We're going to make it this year. One of us is, at least."

Imori's brutish face was drawn, his nod grim as he eyed the other contestants in the room.

"We're _all _going to make it," I pressed, giving them a stiff smile.

There was an almost sad tilt to his eyes as he stared down at me. An expression I didn't fully understand crossing his face. A stiff silence pressed between us, gaping and eating away at my nerves. Beside me, as if drawn by my emotions, Minoru perked up, the red glittering swirls along his fur sparking to life like an electrical shock being delivered.

Imori blinked, his face scrunching for a moment as if he were taking in something that he had forgotten was there. Some of the contestants around the room jerked, their eyes widening as they took in the delicate raising of Minoru's head, his eyes roving around the assembly.

_You were out for a while, _I murmured to him mentally, running a gentle hand along his side. He flinched, his ears flattening for a moment. Still in pain then.

Disgruntled, he glanced away. _When you go through a tower of bullshit, you usually need a little breather afterward._

I didn't dignify this snarkiness with a response.

"So this is it," Imori mused, taking in the cluster of contestants. It was a sparse group. So much smaller than what we had started with. My guess would be in the high twenties maybe?

Sitting just across the room, Ichihiro still had his eyes closed. My mouth went dry as I saw a bubble of sickly yellow ooze from beneath his feet. Aura. As I watched it withered before sliding seamless backward and out of sight. How could he just do that? Unless he had been trained like my mother had trained me. My eyes flicked to Minoru, taking in the slight narrowing of his gaze as he watched the darker-haired boy.

_Huh. That seems like a fun development, _he murmured.

_How_? My teeth ground together, turning to where Hisoka had suddenly gone still like an animal sensing blood. He had sensed it as well. My mind spun. What did it mean? A small, knowing smile curved his lips as he eyed the sleeping boy. For a moment, I felt myself slipping into something closer to anxiety. It was maddening how little I knew.

Beside me, Minoru flinched, his claws extending and scraping along the tile floor as red in his fur brightened. I could almost feel my energy fueling him, making him closer to agitation as I grew more and more panicked.

_Mori, _he snapped.

_I know, _I hissed back, taking a deep breath and shutting my eyes. I needed to stay calm. This exam was bringing out bad things in me. I ground my teeth together. More than that, it kept bringing up _memories _\- dreams from the past. I had lost most of my memory after my mother had died, huge patches of time. In Belcher, I had always been able to keep from worrying about it too much. But here with all the bloodshed and more than that - the challenge. _Dammit_.

"Hey, are you okay?" It was Imori. Sweet Imori. He had always worried about me a bit too much.

I gave him a smile. I wasn't sure about this next bit but so far the vast majority - while aimed to highlight individual strengths - could be played in a way that allowed for cooperation. Glancing around once more, I noticed the lack of groups. All alliances seemed to be abandoned in Trick Tower, leaving the room with a general unease that could easily boil over into bloodshed.

At the moment, my brothers and I were the most unified front - a mass of bonds that wouldn't be severed. There was safety in numbers… But also a danger. It made us a bigger target.

I hid my grimace, noticing how Amori eyed the surrounding contestants with the same tense recognition. Forcing a smile, I squeezed Imori's arm. "Yeah, it's just… a lot, you know? But when we get our licenses, we're going to be able to eat ramen every night."

Umori gave a low groan, his head thumping against the wall that he leaned on. "_Octopus_."

I smiled wryly, remembering when he had been so hungry he had launched himself off the pier and into the ocean, screeching about hunting down some octopus and crab. Amori and Imori had had to paddle in after him and drag him out while I had screamed from the docks. In the end, he had gotten a cold and been out of commission for two weeks and we had nearly starved because of it.

"I hear the big cities have tiny cakes that are so fluffy that you can inhale them," Amori murmured, his eyes glazed, no longer worrying about the threat of the other contestants.

"And clothes that feel like clouds," I whispered dreamily, imagining what it would be like to have more than two outfits and a pair of sneakers. A huge closet… I nearly died from jealousy.

Imori gave a sigh, the longing nearly eating us all alive at that moment. Hungry, little street urchins, that's what we were. In the beginning, I had scoffed at the idea but now… Being this close to the end was making me go mad. I could taste the money that came with this little contest.

And I would be a fool not to want it.

"One minute remaining!" the loudspeakers around the area squawked and I saw a few of the contestants get to their feet.

Amori gave a sigh, cracking his neck. "Well, that's that."

"No way is anyone going to slide-" Imori stopped at the slow rumble of one of the chambers doors opening.

"Aw, my butt hurts!" came a disgruntled cry. I watched, impressed as the green-haired boy and his blonde and silver-haired friends strode into view, covered in a thick layer of grime and sweat.

That was _interesting_, to say the least. Interest peaked, I watched closely as the lankier one and a pudgy contestant came bickering into the hall. Honestly, I wasn't sure whether I should feel intrigued or morbidly shocked that the five had gotten through to the next test at the last moment. Glancing around, I gathered that the welcome was less than warm.

Their arrival was five more people that hadn't been eliminated. Five more people that we needed to crawl over if we wanted to get through this exam.

_At least we're not the only targets, _Minoru whispered to me softly, nodding to deadly glint in a green-haired girl's eyes as she stared at Gon and his friends.

_They helped us, _I protested weakly, already knowing that that was an excuse in itself. This contest seemed to be based around severing any emotional ties in favor of personal gain.

Minoru's eyes were dark holes, the hall's sterile light glint off of their hard surface. _Your brothers are already a heavy enough obligation to keep without adding new ones._

I forced my gaze away. He was right. Of course, he was right. Already I had had a taste of what it meant to trust a contestant with even the bare minimum. My teeth ground together as Ichihiro gave me a cold, mocking smile from across the hall. I wouldn't make that mistake again.

"The third phase of the Hunter Exam is over!" the loudspeaker crackled to life again, an annoying buzz making Minoru growl in annoyance. "Twenty-seven applicants have passed including one deceased!"

"Alright," Imori breathed as a slim door slid open revealing a blaze of light. I blinked into it, dazed. Had it been so long that I had seen the sun? My eyes watered, my skin warming at the prospect. Trapped in this horrid tower for how long? My heart leapt at the sight, my lunges burning as I caught the first whiff of summer air, sunshine, and flowers.

"We're not meant to be unground for too long," Amori muttered, grinning as the other contestants began to file quietly out.

There was an edge to the others that I couldn't completely adopt - the shore view of a tsunami, the cliff edge before the drop. Minoru huffed out a breath as I trotted forward, nearly knocking more than one person over as I ducked between arms and legs, craving the first hit of-

"FRESH AIR!" I screamed, glee making me nearly incoherent. Suddenly all of the fatigue washed away from me at the sight of the trees in the distance, the tower behind me spiraling further and further into the air until all I could see were clouds and a thin stone spear.

Behind me, Minoru gave a roar, charging past me and crashing to the ground in a happy roll as he huffed in the fresh smell of leaves and bark and wind. We were woodland creatures, more inclined to dirt and sky than roofs and darkness. In our small town with the meager living that we had scrounged by on, my brothers and I had found an abandoned warehouse at the edge, pushing in beds and knocking out walls until the space was liveable. My room was a hovel - or at least that was what my brother's told me, straw and blankets made up my bed, a whole wall knocked out so that there was nothing but open air and a sudden drop.

Launching myself at Minoru, I gave a laugh as he rolled, his tongue lulling out as I pounced down on him. No wonder his mood had been so awful. While I was able to control myself, Minoru was a beast and deserved more than a tomb to walk around in.

"And I thought that she was more than a child when she came in all covered in blood," a contestant scoffed somewhere behind me. Minoru's ears flattened, his eyes narrowing. "What a joke."

"Probably Kool-aide," another contestant muttered scornfully. Umori gave a snarl, his head whipping to the side. He looked like he was seriously contemplating the merits of creating a human-sized crater in the guy's head.

I wiggled from Minoru's belly, settling in the sun-dappled grass with a sigh. Seeing the outside again had calmed me, settled my nerves in a way that I hadn't known I needed. I smiled up at my brothers, waving them over.

"Don't mind them," I said as they slouched closer, looking murderous. It was too much energy wasted to allow the others to get under their skin. It meant that they wouldn't be thinking about the contest anymore - instead focusing on how best to fuck someone else over. I caught each of their eyes in turn. "We have another test to get through."

Imori tsked, glaring around. Protective and all-too-eager to get into a fight. My eyes caught unnecessarily on the lean figure of Hisoka, his smile firmly in place and infinitely amused as he kept to the back. Immediately, his aura withered, shivering like an animal anxious to attack, his golden gaze catching mine in recognition. His smile broke, teeth flashing as he gave me a wink.

Like we were conspirators.

The bandages on my hands cinched, tightening as I wiggled my fingers. Maybe we were.

"Congratulations on escaping Trick Tower, everyone," a slick, weasily voice crowed and I turned to see an equally weasily face to accompany it. It was a short, thinly built man, the sides of his head shaved to accommodate a purple mohawk. In the afternoon sun, the large glasses perched atop his sharp nose glistened, obscuring his eyes with shards of pure light. Immediately, I knew who he was. Apparently, Minoru did too by the grumbled string of insults he threw to me mentally. He was the man who had spoken to us in the Tower. "All that remain now are the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase."

A shiver of excitement went through the group. Beside me, I saw my brothers tense like hunting dogs catching a scent. They were starving for this. And I was surprised to feel the echo of that same impulse beat through me.

"The Fourth Phase will take place right over there on Zevil Island," the examiner continued, his thumbing jabbing toward the great expanse of water just to his back. Blue rolled nearly to the horizon, dotted by the overgrown mass of trees and hills that a small island formed. There would be no way to get off of it once we were there, I realized. My heart sank, uneasy dread tightening my stomach. "Now let's proceed."

A sharp click burst through the clearing and immediately a massive man with piercings in a disturbing color of yellow wheeled a small tray with a slim box sitting atop forward.

"Any chance you think that has cookies in it?" Umori whispered, earning a quick punch from Imori.

"Take this seriously," Amori snarled.

Which was exactly the sentiment that I had as Minoru continued to grumble at me about the purple-haired examiner. _He has ridiculous-looking ears, don't you think?_

I rolled my eyes, slapping him lightly on the side as he rolled into a sitting position, chubby legs sprawled before him, his face pulled into a disgruntled pout.

"To begin with, I will need each of you to draw lots now," the examiner was saying, his command punctuated by the uneasy murmur of the other contestants.

That sinking feeling only grew as I felt Hisoka's aura spike. There was only one reason that they would give us numbers. I got to my feet, keeping close enough for contact with Minoru. To divide us up. To-

The examiner's smile was sharp and gleeful. "Who you hunt and who hunts you."

I gulped, that pit growing. There were a lot of people here who I would be able to defeat. But there were also some that I wasn't too sure about. What if I got one of my brothers? What if Minoru was thrown into the mix once more and I was matched against him? Too many variables. Too much uncertainty to make me feel anything but anxious. Suddenly all of my earlier goodwill washed away.

One hand lifted to the box, the examiner's eyes cutting as he grinned around the clearing at each of us, his eyes lingering a bit too long on Minoru and I. "In this box are exactly 26 numbered cards. Which means that one of the numbered cards will correspond with your badge. Now each of you will draw a card in the order you exited the tower. All right. Which of you was first?"

No surprise.

Hisoka's face was decidedly impassive as he strode forward. His aura was a different story altogether. It rolled and withered around him, condensing and expanding until he drew a single card out and flipped it quickly. And just like that, it settled, wilting in dejection as he turned away. My eyes followed him, only sparing a second for the pinned man that had apparently passed the tower second.

_Do you think he got one of us? _Minoru asked me, his eyes following the red-haired man just the same.

I debated, catching the sly smile that Hisoka flashed me as he moved to the back of the group once more. _No, _I finally decided. _I don't think he would have been able to control his excitement if he had._

A low laugh drew my eyes back to the card slot, my teeth grinding as Ichihiro flounced forward, a dark glint in his eyes. How had I not noticed it before? The slightly unhinged jerk in his walk, the cocky smile? The answer was infinitely annoying: because I didn't feel threatened by him. Even now, my observations were based around my own anger not any sense of survival instincts.

All 34 teeth flashed as he turned, that sickly yellow substance oozing out and shivering as he turned toward me. And then he did something that not even Hisoka had done. He turned his card, a sharp laugh breaking from him as he flashed the thin numbers at me. Even with my inability to read, it was hard to not know a number that had been sitting where right in front of you for the last couple of days: 127. Amori's number.

Beside me, my brother went still, real tension making his face go a shade lighter. I wanted to throw up.

"Hunting," he hummed excitedly, a sickly light sparking in his eyes as he danced from foot to foot in front of the slot box, the examiners eyeing him with wary interest. I wanted to yell and tear him apart. I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off of his face. He let out a crow, his eyes crinkling with joy "How does that make you feel, huh? I'm about to hunt him down and snap his neck so quick that no one will hear him scream."

My jaw ached, a burning heat swelling inside of me as I took in the gleeful look in his eyes. There was something about his gaze that made me think that every act was done with such malice that nothing would ever be anything but sloppy and rushed.

Amori's mouth turned down and then tightened into a straight line.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Umori hissed, his knuckles cracking as he took a menacing step forward. Rage tightened my brother's faces, the corded muscles in their shoulders bunching.

Amori's hand tightened on my shoulder, his eyes burning into mine. "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to let some asshole like him attack me."

"There's no way he'll even get near him," Imori whispered, his eyes smoldering. My brother's stuck together.

I still felt like hot garbage. Beside me, Minoru's breath was huffing in and out of him.

Across the clearing, I could feel the tense shift in Hisoka, his eyes burning into Ichihiro. A new target. If I said the word, I didn't doubt that he would kill him for me. Hisoka was barely leashed as it was and from his aura that was about to slip once he got onto that island.

"Thanks for the warning," I said tightly, baring my teeth in a smile that I was sure resembled the final rattle of a death grimace. At my back, I felt my brothers condense into a snarling, glaring pack of dogs, all biting at the bit to get a chunk of Ichihiro's skin. But that wasn't how this place worked. If any one of them could get disqualified for starting a fight. If we wanted to stay in then we needed to play it cool. And tear him apart later.

Beside me, Minoru's body vibrated, the red patches swirling and humming with the electrical force of a fuse ready to blow.

I wouldn't underestimate Ichihiro but I also wouldn't let him cow me. Especially in front of all these contestants watching the exchange, all with expressions that looked more inclined to back the psychopath in front of me. _Sheep_, I sneered.

"Hey, that's not cool to say that to a lady!" mister suit and tie yelled from somewhere near the tree-line. A general crow of agreement came from Gon and Kurapika.

Gon jumped up and down. "Yeah! Why don't you pick on someone your own size, you big bully?"

The smile on Ichihiro's face was sickening. "Should I tell them about how much of a threat you really are?"

My blood went cold, my insides hardening as I strode toward him, plastering a smile on my face. I played around with my aura, remembering the feeling of hardening and sharpening that card that Hisoka had given me. Like a new muscle that hadn't been used, a part of my brain throbbed.

When my shoulder slammed into Ichihiro's side it was with enough force to send him sprawling, a surprised smile frozen on his face. Hisoka's laugh was swift, sharp like the caw of a bird of prey, his aura leaping with glee and… pride?

The whisper of unease that went through the other contestants was enough to make my smile turn genuine. I stared into Ichihiro's eyes, making sure that my aura was just the right shade of rip-you-to-shreds. Leaning forward, I made sure that the next words were just for him. "If you so much as get near my brothers, I'll tear out your intestines and feed them to Minoru."

I could feel the barely leashed fury that my brothers were casting to the sprawled form of Ichihiro, that smile still in place even through whatever mental calculations were going through his mind. Slowly, I straightened, holding his gaze. I meant every word.

"Dude, you just let a little girl knock you down," a thin-set man whispered to Ichihiro as he slunk away and I felt a burst of joy at his grumbled acknowledgment.

The feeling was short-lived however as I neared the box, my brain aching along with a series of other muscles in my shoulder and arm that I didn't even know existed. Obviously, without practice, these abilities would be painful to use each time.

"Quite a racket," the examiner mused as my fingers tightened on the first card I felt.

I had to agree with him. Already I had made myself more of a target than I had ever intended. But with someone crowing about how they were going to hunt down your brother and snap their neck, there were barely any options in front of me. I could either appear to be prey or predator. There wasn't any in between.

"We're going to be fighting each other than," Amori said after my brother's had gotten their numbers, their backs turned to Ichihiro even though I knew that we all were keeping track of his movements.

"Has everyone drawn?" the examiner called after the last of Gon's group had gone forward. "Very well. Now if you would, please go ahead and remove the sticker. The number you see if your target."

The card slid smoothly into my hoodie pocket as I turned back, making sure to keep my eyes away from number 34. One of the major advantages of going into this island was the fact that no one knew who their hunter would be. Advanced knowledge was a valuable thing - one that Ichihiro had just squandered.

Still, I wasn't sure. As I watched him sulk out of the corner of my eye, I knew that that little trick from earlier wouldn't work again. He had stood still because he hadn't expected anything other than a girl half his size to try and shoulder bump him. I wouldn't get the same opportunity.

At the moment, very few had realized this, many eyes set solidly on the person's name tags. That was the issue, wasn't it? No one had paid attention to the numbers around them. Sure, personal appearance - the girl with the sniper, the man with the afro, the guy with the turban - those little things were easy to point out. But a number? No.

It was a good thing that I had already memorized all the tags in the clearing, going over each one after the examiner had hinted at the rules. Better was the fact that Minoru was here, murmuring them to me, his eyes the extra set that I needed to fully understand the scribbled mess of lines on each person's card.

Number 34 was a tall, dark-haired boy with spiky hair and a green tunic. He would have been handsome - just this side of charming to make all the girl's back home melt. Lean and angular, there was very little about him that yelled of a threat. Still, he had gotten to this phase and that was warning enough for me.

"This box has recorded the number that each of you drew. Each card was tallied and then stored in the memory," the examiner explained. "So if you like, you're free to dispose of the cards. It makes no difference at this point. The objective is to steal your target's I.D. badge."

Already, the others were tinkering with their badges, some of the older contestants already taking them off. Number 34 was no different. His handsome face tightened with anxiety. All of my energy in this next part needed to be focused on tracking Ichihiro - one thing that I wasn't particularly good at. This meant that I needed to get 34's badge quickly and easily.

"The method is up to you," the examiner was saying. But my attention was fully on 34. Watching him slip his badge into his back pocket before taking it out and putting it in his front. "Procure the badge however you see fit."

_He doesn't look very smart, _Minoru observed and I watched as he slid a step closer, pretending to roll onto his back. 34 was one of the people who had called me a child earlier. Hopefully that view hadn't changed in the last 15 minutes.

_He also looks like he loses things easily, doesn't he? _I asked, a second before I was scrambling forward, jumping up and down as waved my hand around a bit more emphatically than I needed to.

"EXCUSE ME!" I yelled, forcing petulant indignation into my voice as I bustled up beside number 34 so that I could meet the examiner's amused stare. "What happens if you have your own card? Can I trade mine out?"

A slow smile formed on the purple-haired man's lips, the contestants around me starting to grumble.

"What an idiot," someone with a deep voice grumbled to another.

I frowned, trying to look cowed by the attention. Number 34's eyes rolled, his gaze scornful as he watched me clutch at my card. I gave him a wobbly smile. "Just a question. _Completely_ hypothetical."

"If you have your own number than that makes things infinitely easier for you… And also a bit harder, I suppose," the examiner grinned. "Collecting the ID badge of your specified target will earn you three points. Understand? Your own badge is also worth three points. And all the other badges are worth one point. In order to move on to the Final Phase you will have to collect six points." The examiner's glasses flashed as he eyed me. "So while it may seem like a blessing in disguise to have your own number, it's also a curse. In your… _hypothetical_ scenario, the contestant would have only three point available to them and would need to gather three more badges to move on… Understand?"

I nodded, my eyes widening in mock horror as I took an unsteady step back and bumped right into number 34.

_Clumsy, _Minoru chortled. It was harder to whimper pathetically when he was throwing jabs out.

"Sorry," I hurried to say, stumbling back from the narrowed gaze of 34.

"Just don't let it happen again," he snarled and I nodded, acting cowed as I scuttled back to the safety of my brothers and away from the laughter of the other contestants.

_Come back with any treats? _Minoru joked as I quivered into his side, trying to look more dejected than I felt.

I turned my head into his side, smiling. _It's too bad that everyone else won't start slitting each other's throats until later._

_I think that the examiner knows what you did. _The cool plastic of a fresh badge slid along my fingers.

Once people had the badges, it would be a game of waiting and hiding. Luckily for me, I had a bear with a pouch. Discreetly, I slid my stolen card into the compartment. There would be very little that 34 could do once I had it and from the self-assured tilt of his chin, he wouldn't figure out that something was missing until it was too late. And by that time, I would be too busy handling Ichihiro and he would be to panicked at the prospect of not only be 3 points down but 6.

_I feel a bit bad for him, _I admitted. _This game is too easy for a thief with a bunch of people playing by the rules. _Across the clearing, leaning against the stone walls of the tower, Hisoka's eyes tracked me. Slowly, a single brow rose, his smile all too knowing. I couldn't help the instinctive curl of my own lips.

* * *

_And that's the end of this chapter. 16 pages btw which is crazy since I didn't even realize it until it was posted. It went by so quickly._

_Anyway, if you're new to my story than I welcome you and ask you to send me a little favorite or follow or both. And if you're not then I love you and you're part of my family already and would appreciate it if you would send me a little love in the form of a review._


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Sorry for this late update but... I'm not going to lie, things have been rough. And crazy. And just... I needed some time to myself. Time to think and kind of get myself out of that hole that I had kind of fallen into._

_But I'm not going to talk about anything too serious here. I believe in the freedom to have a space where things are a bit more simple. I want my stories to be that for you guys since writing has always been my sanctuary. It's a place where the outside world doesn't have to get involved. It's a place where there are problems but I always have a solution. And more than that, it's a place where I want everyone to feel at home._

_That being said, I'm not going to be answering reviews today however I want each of my readers to know that I appreciate you and I worry about you and I want you to be safe. You guys matter to me and I honestly can say that I love you. Because you like my writing. And even though it's as simple as that, it means the world to me. So whatever happens just know that this story will always be here and I'll be here too - writing somewhere halfway across the world for you guys._

* * *

Chapter 15:

"If you give me your badge, I'll protect you this next phase." The boy's monkey gave a squawk of confirmation, his chest puffing up as Minoru gave him an annoyed once over. The boy was lanky with a bush of brown hair, looking akin to an alarmed animal caught stealing cookies. "I mean that guy said he was going to go after your brother but I'm sure what he really wants to do is get to you. I mean… that's just what it seems like…"

I didn't answer, leaning farther into the side of the wooden boat as we tipped this way and that. Only a few feet away, my brothers were huddled together, quietly discussing their strategy. Their plan of attack was always the same: stick together and kick as much ass as possible, hoping that the numbers would both intimidate and suppress any opposition. It wouldn't change for this event.

"_We'll stay together," Imori had whispered, keeping a hold on my arm as I tried to file into the boat drifting listlessly at the shore. I didn't answer at first, mulling that over._

_Umori had interpreted that silence rather quickly. "She's not going to keep with us, man. You know how she is."_

"_This isn't the time to be all lone wolf on us, Mori," Imori had hissed, his face reddening as he dragged me a bit closer. Amori watched silently from a foot or so away, his face drawn, unreadable._

_Gon and his friends drifted past, each giving me a considerable look. It meant that they felt bad for me. It meant that they wanted to help me but they had problems of their own that they needed to deal with. Problems like the hunter exam._

_The basis of this exam seemed to be straightforward enough: wear them down until they aren't able to function. Minimal sleep with panic over actually passing would be enough to drive most to their breaking point. Now they were releasing us onto an island and telling us to do whatever it took to get those badges. Killing? Not preferable but definitely the quickest method. A method that a good number of the contestants left had probably resorted to in the last test._

_Ichihiro didn't just want to kill my brothers though. He wanted to use them. Set a trap large enough to where I couldn't refuse. Simple but designed specifically with me in mind._

_He knew I couldn't refuse him._

"_Listen," I murmured, speaking low enough that no one else would overhear. Hisoka drifted past as I spoke, his eyes always constant, vigilant in a way that made my skin tingle. Even in the silence of his stare, I could feel the relish. The urge to not only see me struggle but.. I gritted my teeth, my muscles tensing as I shoved his aura away from me, earning a heated smile from him as he stalked past. Dangerous man. "Ichihiro doesn't want to go after you. He wants _me _to go after _him_. So that's exactly what I'll do."_

_Imori's teeth flash in a sneer. "That's the stupidest-"_

_I reach out, squeezing his shoulder. "That's the only option that makes sense right now. The hard truth is that he'll more than likely be released to the island before us since it looks like that's the way they're formatting this phase. So that leaves me the option of chasing him and keeping him away from you or…"_

"_Or you'll be a sitting duck," Amori sighs, rubbing his eyes. I nod, wincing._

_Umori grunts, looking thoroughly pissed off. "If you wait for us to get off that boat then you'll give him more time to set himself up. It would mean…"_

"_It would mean that I wouldn't have the ability to be on the offense before he comes," I finished. The wind whistled through the grass, the boat bobbing a bit at the sudden gust. A pang of homesickness burst through me, sharp and breathtaking. Forcing a smile, I turned back to them. "I'll finish him off and then be back with you in no time."_

_But even as I said it, I could see the uncertainty in their gaze. And I didn't try to promise either._

"I mean take it or leave it but from where I'm sitting…" Monkey boy gives a scoff like that's answer enough, his little friend fixing me with a haughty stare.

Minoru nearly bites off his hand when the little guy tries touch the glossy black of his eye. I give the boy a cold smile, watching him leap back about a foot, his face going. "Thanks but I think I'll take my chances."

"Crazy bitch," I hear him breathe as I swing away, Minoru grumbling behind me.

_Should have taken his badge, _he sneers, the dark blue of his fur rippling in the breeze from the gently rocking boat.

My eyes around the crowded boat, each corner filled with hungry-looking contestants, their eyes roaming around at each other like caged animals. There was only one place that my eyes lingered - the shadowy back corner of the swaying deck, the cat-like smirk, and honey eyes that seemed to gleam through the gloom. Hisoka always looked like an animal, I reasoned, staring at him unabashedly as his eyes flicked up and met my own.

Was it even more daunting that he wore such an ardent lust of destruction on his brow or would it have made me feel better it he hid it? I tore my gaze away, answering Minoru instead. _We don't want to seem too greedy._

_Just too nice, _he sneered back, his teeth flashing as he glowered at the rolling waves. He hated being off dry land. Feeling the bare heat of the sun scorch my own skin, I couldn't help but agree with him.

I keep to the railing of the boat, purposely distancing myself from my brothers.

There's something ugly and sad gnawing at my gut that I don't want to think about. Something that has to do with the fact that my brothers are all very strong but if one of them goes down then the rest usually aren't far behind. They'll be doing this next part together - a risk but one that needs to be taken since they all need badges and alone their physical prowess is… admirable but sloppy in its execution.

Luckily none of them have Hisoka's number or… My eyes drift to the green-clad man, his pallor the same tone of a mummified corpse, skin taut and leathery beneath the array of yellow pins. If Hisoka hadn't warned me about him, I might have dismissed him. His presence had been eerie but minimal this whole exam. A fact that made me both relieved and suspicious. Was it his disinterest in me or my closeness to Hisoka? My eyes drifted between the two - the natural sort of distance, the oddly unconcerned air for two men who I found myself thinking as closer to equals than anything else. Cold dread tightened my stomach. Another Hisoka in the wings was cause enough for concerns.

_Click, click-click, clack-clack-clack_. My blood ran cold as that gaunt face jolted a twitched, spinning disjointedly until those purple eyes were upon me, drilling into my very soul. There was a wisdom in knowing when to be afraid. I had felt it (if a bit too late) with Hisoka. And now I felt it with this man.

Around his eyelash-less lids, there was a slight swelling. The sort of puffiness that came from tugging at an area for too long - a distortion that made me think for a moment that I was staring at a mirror askew.

Beside me, Minoru gave a snarl, his lips slipping back, strands of saliva dripping from his teeth as the sun beat down at him. I felt a charge of energy buzz from me to him, a ramping up as he caught the thickening of danger in the air. Sweat dribbled down from the contraption on my arms, the skin there slick with it. For a brief, blood-curdling moment, I saw the air around the pinned man thicken like a soup left to sit too long.

And then there was sharp flick of a card being snapped between fingers and the pinned man's head was clicking away, his gaze returning to the clouds above.

_He would have killed us,_ Minoru breathed and I swallowed around the wad fo cotton clogging my windpipe. Because, yes. He would have. And for some reason, I thought that his first target would have been me, a rare occurrence. When looking at a small, wide-eyed girl and a large bear with teeth the consistency of a hacksaw, which would you size up first? The fact that I had felt the way that he almost leaned toward me, his eyes voids - A cold shiver of fear skittered across my stomach and through my intestines.

I didn't answer Minoru, my hands clammy as I forced my gaze to the side. The sound of the waves caressing the side of the boat filtered through the pounding in my veins along with the quiet murmur of some of the other contestants.

The gentle push of a familiar aura drew my eyes to the scarlet-haired man, a card sliding through his fingers as he gave me a warning stare. _I told you to be good,_ that look seemed to say. I gulped, glowering as I shoved back at his aura.

But there was something gnawing at my stomach. The feeling that if it weren't for Hisoka's… attachment to me… I would be in a very different position right now. A position that seemed oddly similar to how I had met Hisoka himself. One led by my curiosity.

"As everyone can see by the defined peaks of the island-" My eyes snapped to the slabs of rock that spiked through the tree-tops of the island, the boat bobbing a bit closer as it circled where it was going to dock.

_We won't be able to fly, _Minoru mused, his eyes glinting black in the sunshine. I could feel my facial muscles tensing in anger at the news. Although the edges of the island were at sea level, the ground seemed to slope, coning up until it reached an impressive peak at the center. Tunnel systems probably ran through the area, caves that could be accessed by both the animals and our examiners.

That meant that we could either stay grounded or keep to the edge of the island, closer to where it rose above sea-level in the back, leaving a steep cliff's edge. The ladder would isolate me, limit my movement. The first would corner me in a different way, allowing other contestants the ability to take my badge.

It was a risk that I wasn't willing to take.

My eyes slid back to Minoru. _Keep to the far edge of the island where the land drops off before the sea._

Trepidation bit through his onyx eyes. _You want to separate._

_I want to keep the badges safe. Ichihiro and the pinned mummy are wild cards. Not to mention that we still have another person in this group who wants my badge. _The boat jolted slightly as it bounced off the shoreline, the pixie-haired announcing giving a bubble of a laugh as she continued to chatter on.

Minoru's eyes darted around. _Someone who was smart enough to keep his mouth shut when you gave that little damsel-in-distress act earlier._

"Thanks for being patient, everyone!" the announcer chirped, the clatter of the bridge cutting her off. "We've arrived at Zevil Island!" She seemed to end every sentence on an exclamation, her eyes roving around at the dirty-faced contestants with a hunger that was of a completely different variety than our own. Like an entertainer starving for applause.

_You won't die, will you? _Minoru asked, his voice deceptively bland even though his eyes flicked down to my bandaged hands.

I flexed my fingers, wincing at the ripping feeling my skin pulling apart once more, warm dampness tickling my palm. I'd be in some serious trouble if the fighting continued. Mentally, I belittled myself for allowing things to get this bad. _I'm very quick… and flexible._

I could feel my brother's staring at me, their mouths moving as they formed a quick plan. They would more than likely spend the first day tracking down one of their badge-holders, stalking them until they attacked and were able to move to the next.

Minoru's eyes rolled, the boat shaking slightly as he sat heavily on his haunches as the announcer jabbered on.

_Yeah because the last time I checked a good split would knock someone cleanout, _Minoru grumbled and I resisted the urge to glower at him. He didn't like it when we separated - a feeling that was mutual but one that I didn't entirely think was mental alone. For some reason, when he was gone from me… the farther he went… It was like my energy was being sapped, a spool unwinding the farther he went until I was near-comatose. Unsettling… worrying.

I shook it off, my head snapping up and towards the dropped bridge, the forest just beyond as I felt the familiar shift of power, the gentle tickling of aura. Like a cat just woken, stretching for the first time after a good nap.

Hisoka rolled from his sitting position, his smirk firmly in place as he cast a nonchalant glance around the boat. His brows quirked as he caught my gaze, a teasing light entering his eyes as he took in my defensive stance. Idly, he toyed with the laminated card. I caught the brief flash of a "0" before it was turning again. _0\. 0. 0._

"FIRST APPLICANT, GET READY TO DISEMBARK NOW!" The announcer squealed, jabbing a finger into the air as the little stopwatch in her hands gave a soft chirp. Hisoka strolled forward, that card flicking between his fingers. Flick. Flick. Flick.

His eyes stayed on me, his aura withering around him as his gaze ran leisurely down my body and then back up again. Something in me responded, my aura roaring up to meet his as he drew nearer. Was it a challenge? It felt like that. But also something more. Something a little bit more heated. More personal. His smile grew, his aura finally near enough that it could lick along mine.

He stopped, his head tipping to the side, one hand going to his pocket as he put that card away. I could feel the heavy attention of the rest of the boat, the baited breath.

"Want to guess whose card I have, little mouse?" he murmured silkily to me, his head tilting to the side as he leaned down. He was so close now, his impressive build almost blotting out the sun, his hair an arch of fire, shivering with light. But near the roots… My eyes caught the tell-tale waves of baby blue, a starling contradiction.

I blinked, blushing as his teeth flashed, his eyes crinkling as if he saw the unsteady flash of thoughts. Damn him. I bared my teeth up at him, forcing his aura back with a harsh shove of my own as he smirked. "I. Don't. Care."

His tongue ran slowly over his bottom lip, his eyes flashing hungrily as they traveled over me again. I could see it then - the stark, carnal longing. He would love to eat me up, devour me whole. My face burned, something low inside of me tightening. I flinched, startling by the sudden, combatting emotions.

"I think that you should," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear, the baby hairs there shivering with it.

My heart squeezed, heat and nervous energy waring against each other until I thought I would go crazy with it. What the hell was happening to me?

"FIRST APPLICANT!" The announcer called shrilly, her voice tinged with panic. "Your times ticking! One minute remaining."

Hisoka drew back, his smile cheeky even if his aura was still pinching along mine, pulling at me, pushing me. I gritted down, trying to regain control of my emotions. He didn't need the time, I thought furiously as he glanced smoothly to the announcer and then back at me. No one would go after him. If this was a contest for wild animals, he would be a cheetah, the rest of us somewhere between gazelles and muskrats. Either on par enough to eat or so lowly that he wouldn't even consider.

"Don't get killed, pet," he murmured to me, his fingers reaching up. For a moment, I stopped breathing, my eyes narrowing in on the action. Would he kill me here? No. He couldn't. Could-

My scalp tingled, eclectic zings going up my arms as his nails scraped gently along my chin, the callouses of his fingers making me shiver. Gently - gently enough to slam me with confusion - his fingers slid along my jaw, grazing my ear until his palm cupped my chin, the tips of his fingers diving into my mess of hair.

It was almost… loving. I blinked, gasping, staring wildly up into his smiling eyes, mocking - so mocking even now. Gently, he gave my nap an affectionate squeeze before pulling away.

And walking into the depths of the forest beyond without a backward glance.

Silence buzzed all around me, my head filling with that static until there was nothing but the trees and the place where Hisoka had been.

"Second applicant." I jumped, jerked out of my daze with a forced that should have knocked me flat.

Minoru's eyes were critical as he stared a time, his stitched mouth pulled into a frown. _Have a fun break from reality?_

_I - That was… _My mind was blank, still reeling.

Minoru's gaze narrowed scornfully. _Well, if you want to keep your little promise to Prince Charming than I suggest you get your head out of the clouds._

_He's not Prince Charming, _I replied immediately, my eyes darting to the tree line as another person exited the boat. Hisoka… If he had my card, I… My head spun in confusion. Would he hunt me down? When he had the ability to get badges so easily. Most of the poor schmucks here would hand over their badges willingly if they saw him coming their way.

But to not put into consideration that Hisoka had the fullest ability to fuck me over was stupid. No. He wasn't Prince Charming. But trusting him had gotten me this far. So I wouldn't worry about him. At least, not until the problem with Ichihiro passed.

My eyes slid to him, my stomach churning as I realized that he had been watching me the whole time, his pallid grayish as he stared at me beneath sunken lids. Slowly, his body unspooled itself from where he sat, his eyes dark and humorless as his legs jerked out from under him, his frame somehow a lot taller than I had originally thought it to be. His eyes had gone black, the pupils dilating into something alien. Something feral.

Sudden nausea tightened my stomach as he slid smoothly toward the bridge. He wanted to kill me, I realized with a jolt. The idea had crossed my mind but… Why did he hate me so much? I forced myself to keep his gaze as he passed, his head turning even as he passed me, his gaze never leaving mine.

"I'm gonna make you scream, little girl," he whispered to me, his voice devoid of anything. Like he was stating a fact. Like he had no other plans. Chills bit up my arms and legs. This was the real Ichihiro. Whatever trace of the person I had met in the Third Phase was gone. He was good at lying, I realized. Good at hiding away his true self behind a bland smile.

Minoru gave a low snarl. But I could hear the tremor there. My fear coursed between us, bouncing back at me like a ball against a wall.

He didn't stop staring at me.

Even as he got off the boat. Even as he got to land and went into the brush. His head stayed tipped, one eye focused me until the forest ate him up.

_I should have killed him, _Minoru snarled unsteadily. We both stayed trained to that spot, our eyes locked where he had disappeared like at any moment he would launch himself back across the clearing.

My brother's eyes caught mine, their expressions somber as the announcer called for the next applicants.

"Don't do anything stupid," Imori said gruffly, his eyes flicking to where Ichihiro had been.

A dribble of sweat ran down Umori's face as he flicked nervously glances from me to the forest. His adam's apple bobbed. "I - We love you."

I gulped. That sounded too final. Amori's jaw tightened, his eyes cat-like as they ran over me and then gave Umori a harsh glance. "And we'll see you after you get rid of this asshole."

A swell of gratefulness choked me along with uncertainty. I couldn't think about them not making it. To even think it was to put it into existence. So I wouldn't. My brothers would make it and we would be hunters together. That was the only option.

I didn't answer them, forcing a smile and a nod as I turned to the bridge.

"1 minute and 37 seconds," the announcer chided, tapping a nail at the stopwatch's display. "Tick tock."

_Keep to the cliff, _I reminded Minoru, rolling my neck.

I didn't wait for him to reply, taking the bridge at a sprint. It would be useless to stalk Ichihiro. He already knew I was coming for him. The only thing to account for was how long until our paths collided.

Behind me, I heard Minoru give a frightful roar before there was a chorus of surprised yelps and groaning timber. A final warning for the remaining contestants to stay away from me before he took to the sky.

I could only hope that they took it.

* * *

_Listen, guys, I want ya'll to wash your hands and wear your masks and keep thinking about each other. Some people might try to take away kindness in this world but I know that my readers aren't like that. You guys are wonderful, good, beautiful people._

_XOXO - Lovely_


	16. Chapter 16

I had forgotten how easy it was for the forest to toy with a person's mind when they're left all alone.

In here, once you get past the treeline, there's nothing but the grass and the noises of the hungry trees to keep you company. You can imagine so much within the canopy of the oaks, the sky peeking through just enough to let you know that there was a world out there but so little that you could feel the press of the woods all around.

I come to a stop, heaving, sweat coursing down my sides in rivulets, a burning in my lunges reminding me in the most painful of ways how far I had run. My feet hurt - the lack of arch support in my converse making it very clear what a waste of money these stupid shoes were. A migraine is starting to form at the base of my skull, zinging along my eyes and adding to my fatigue. I can feel Minoru drifting along the southern-most side of the island, a tug in my stomach making me wince. We've rarely been this far apart and already it's beginning to wear on me, making my headache almost unbearable.

I push it down. The pain, the loneliness - those aren't thoughts that will get me far. They'll limit me, tie my down, and drown me if I'm not careful.

My eyes scan the high grass to my left, the trees shying away from the sunny clearing. Here the terrain is diverse, the land giving way to grasslands and cave systems while also spiraling into columns of rock that overlook the whole island. Still, other parts dip off to give way to ponds and small lakes. I can hear the tickling laughter of a brook now, just a short distance away.

"_The forest will tell you all of its secrets if you just listen."_

I wince, shrinking away from the sudden, painful flash of memories. Here - in these woods - it's too easy to get lost in the past. I gulp, steadying myself against the base of a tree. It's been years since I've been alone. Even longer since I've ventured into any forest. After my mother had died and I had gone to the city - well, I had had other problems to worry about besides taking a trip home. The combinations of solitude and a place that resembled my childhood was… disturbing. A bad combination.

Gritting my teeth, I forced the thoughts away. Ghosts were everywhere in this world and I wasn't going to let them drag me down. Not here. Not when I was in such danger.

7 days. 168 hours and I had already spent 62 of them. 62 _wasted_ hours.

Ichihiro hadn't done a single thing that I had thought he would. Far from leaving me a clear path to find him, he had dove into the forest like a shark going into the deep. He had covered his tracks well enough for my skills at tracking to not be able to find even a sniff of him. In turn, that left me to run the land like a madwoman. Worse was the realization that he could be anywhere. Doing anything. And I wouldn't know a thing.

_Snap_.

I groaned, wiping angrily at the sheen of sweat that was currently soaking my neck and hoodie.

"I don't want to hurt you, young miss." Slowly, I turned, my anger roaring to life with a ferocity that was brought on by my agitation and increasing headache. He was a bulky, his hair long and shoved away from his brutish face with a sweat-soaked mustard yellow bandana. Gripped tightly in his enormous mitts was a long spear. "I need your badge. Hand it over and this won't have to get ugly."

Somehow the fact that he was warning me just pissed me off even more. My blood boiled, my mouth going coppery. Rage beat through me, swallowing up any reason.

"Bad timing," I hissed. I was on him in a second, my body moving with a speed that a blundering oaf like him could never hope to possess. Off to my left, deep in the forest I sensed something stir.

"Ugh!" A sickly warm splash of blood-soaked through the thick cotton of my hoodie. My mouth tightened at his gurgled scream, his knuckles going white on his spear as his knees started to give out. I grabbed onto the nape of his neck, my muscles straining as I kept him upright.

"I'm really getting sick and tired of big, blundering animals like you and your little friends underestimating me," I hissed out, my dagger digging deeper into the vulnerable skin at his lower back. Snarling, I twisted, my vision going pitch black at his agonized yell. The cry of a dying animal.

I jerked back, feeling the coiling call of another, bigger animal as it stalked closer to us, drawn to me by my bloodlust like a shark scenting blood. This aura held a darkness that was entirely it's own. A darkness that carouseled around obsession. Hisoka? It was so similar...

The man at my feet gave a shallow whimper, his breath leaving him in harsh, rapid gasps as I ripped my dagger from his back.

"Viper," he bleated out, his face dripping with sweat as I side-stepped around him. "Fight me. Fight me like I'm your equal." I resisted the urge to laugh. The hypocrisy was disgusting. My dagger zipped back into its sheath.

Personally, I didn't want to test the delicate boundaries of Hisoka and my relationship. Not when this was hunting season.

"I suggest you run," I warned smoothly, glaring down at my sleeve, now heavy with his blood. "Before you come across something with sharper teeth."

I didn't take his badge, my mind keenly focused on the approaching ripples of Hisoka's aura. As I dove through the underbrush, keeping away from the unknown terrain of the grassland, I berated myself. Keeping a stock of badges in my pocket would not only be a strong fail-safe but also a good way to limit the competition for my brothers in the upcoming trials.

I dodged into the hedges at the far southern side of the island, drawing a bit closer to Minoru. It would be good to stay near him in sleep. I had realized that rather quickly after the first day.

Sighing, I grabbed ahold of a low branch and swung up, scrambling up the trunk until I was high enough that no one who wasn't looking would see me. People rarely looked up. I had found that out pretty quickly after my brothers had fallen on me a few times.

My eyes drifted to the sky once more. The days on this island ended in blood, the sun turning the trees into a forest seen through a red lens. Here the days reflected it's occupants it seemed.

* * *

"_Ma, I don't want to. Don't make me. Please." Burning. The smell of logs being tossed into a fire that had already eaten up what it had been given before._

_Cold hands clasped around my jaw, jerking my eyes up, up, up. "This is the way of things. You are strong. Stronger than me. It-"_

"_I DON'T WANT IT!" My throat was raw from the yell. Raw from the smoke. Raw from the overwhelming fear that was pumping through me. Things were too dark in memories, making shadows seem longer than they were. The woman hovering over me looked more like a ghoul than my own mother. And standing beside me… I felt a scream building in my throat, my eyes ticking to the side, dragged by the crushing darkness that was emanating from that one, smaller figure, it's eyes beady, pricking with the light from the fire._

"_Don't be afraid of it, panda. Fear will get you nowhere." But I am afraid. I can feel it clawing up my throat, threatening to spill out as the flash of jagged teeth glint in the firelight. "It will be as much a part of you as your own nen. It will make you stronger-"_

"_Then why don't you take it?" There's a flash of surprise that stills her features for a moment. She wasn't expecting me to ask such a question. And for a moment, I think she'll let me go. I think she won't complete the ceremony._

"_Because I don't have enough nen to sustain it," she finally whispers and that scream breaks lose as she grabs a knife and slits my hand open._

* * *

I gasp, nearly falling off of my makeshift bed. My nails dig into the vulnerable skin of my chest, tearing at the flesh at my neck until I can feel tissue and blood collecting under my nails. Sweat dribbles down my back, drenching my hoodie.

What the hell was that? Raggedly, I look around, afraid for a moment that I'll see the same teeth, the same glinting eyes. But instead, there's a flash of red hair, the scent of funnel cake thickening the air before he appears, his hands shoved casually in his pants, his mouth downturned. Even from a distance, I can see the agitated swish of his aura, his eyes narrowed even in the darkness.

I hesitate, unsure of whether I should draw his attention or try to slip away. As quietly as possible, I readjust, balancing on the branch in a crouch. It's clear that this part of the exam has been more of a bore for him than he probably wanted. In this aspect, Hisoka and I are much the same. When things aren't a challenge, our tempers are usually lost. It's an unsettling comparison.

Slowly, he stops, his eyes drifting around the wooded area for a moment before their skimming along the tree trunks, up into the canopy.

He smiles.

"Are you here to kill me?" I call, any thoughts of slipping away lost in that one glance. To anyone else, it would be bone-chilling. Maybe I would have liked it better if I was genuinely frightened. Fear heightens your instincts, makes you sharper. As it turns out, I've already spent enough time around Hisoka to have that instinct washed out of my system. Instead, I'm left staring down at his smiling face like a deaf, dumb bird.

"You hurt me," he drawls out the sky, his eyes flicking to my hiding place once before flicking around the treetops. "I just wanted to come and check on you. Little animals can get trampled so easily out in the big, wide world."

If I wasn't so annoyed, I might actually be flattered. Briefly, my eyes trail around the underbrush around him. I stop, gaze zeroing in on the tufts of unruly green hair that blends so well with a bush a couple of paces behind Hisoka. If I hadn't been perched up here, I might never have seen him. My eyes slip to Hisoka once more, watching as his aura swishes back and forth looking more and more like the annoyed flick of a cat's tail. He might already know that the kid is following him. But if he doesn't…

I grin, leaping down to land lightly just in front of the red-haired man, my spirits rising substantially. Hisoka is years ahead of Gon and his friends. Which means that I can keep his little secret without worrying about the consequences that might befall the agile man standing just in front of me, his eyes running over me with a ravenous sort of glint. His eyes zero in on the blood-soaked sleeve of my hoodie almost immediately.

"I thought that wound looked particularly like your work," Hisoka hummed, his lips curling slyly. Casually, he took a step to the side. I smiled, following his lead. Slowly, we circled each other. His golden eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Not finishing him off and leaving his badge for Illumi." He tsked.

My ears perked at the name. I hadn't known that Hisoka knew anyone's name beside mine and Gons. "I didn't know you had friends, Hisoka."

"Ohhh," he purred, his eyes flashing. "Say my name again."

"Scumbag," I said slowly, sweetly, watching as his eyes crinkled in a genuine smirk.

His teeth flashed in a dangerous display of canines. "You should be grateful that I enjoy your company, pet."

"Mm," I mused, mirroring his movements closely. "I think I would count myself among the lucky if you overlooked my presence."

His eyes flashed, mocking. "When have you ever been overlooked, Mori?"

I stopped something in his words sending a chill down my spine. They reminded me too much of my dream. I gulped, unsettled. Memory? No. I remembered everything from my childhood. I refused to believe that that was a memory. I winced, my head throbbing.

"Struck a cord?" Biting down on my tongue, I moved back a step, creating more of a distance between us. In the grand scheme of things, I was sure that we both cared very little about distance in the long run. We were faster than the average bear.

Still, it made me feel better. I took another, careful step back.

I glowered, unable to quell my rising irritation any longer. My headache was back, pounding at the back of my skull with the sharp rap of a chisel on soft, pliable wood. More to the point, I was mad that I hadn't found Ichihiro yet. Mad that I didn't know where to even begin to search for him. My anger crackled around me like an electric charge, unable to go anywhere, without direction or control.

Hisoka's eyes widened, his lips curling in delight.

My teeth flashed, all forms of my earlier smile gone. "Why did you come to find me, Hisoka?"

His eyes narrowed, closing, his lips dropping in the pantomime of a pout. "I was so bored, Mori." I watched him, something in me responding to the subtle pull of his aura. I felt an odd excitement tingle through my gut. Slowly, those honey eyes opened, focusing on me. "Aren't you?"

* * *

_As always, know I worry about you guys and let me know how you like the story._

_XOXO, Lovely_


	17. Chapter 17

_Woo, this one is making me go for a run at like 9 pm but I guess that's fine. Just know that I'm braving these streets at night for you guys._

_Anyway, I came back and I looked at my follow count and then I am so, so thankful to all of you and I hope that that means I can get some awesome reviews going._

_As for the people that have been reviewing - thank you, you rock. You guys keep me motivated, keep me pumped for what I have planned._

* * *

_Chapter 17_

I turned, hearing a dull thunk as the playing card embedded into the base of a tree behind me. The wind gave a distant howl, the ocean just beyond filling my nose with a briny, salty scent. Slowly, my eyes traveled back to where Hisoka still stood, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

There had always been the possibility of him finding me and wanting to kill me. I had no illusions otherwise. I danced to the side as another card clipped my thigh, watching as his fingers played along a full deck, rolling them out and then shuffling them impassively. Allowing me enough time to think. But also giving himself something to do. My eyes narrowed on the man even as I flipped, easily avoiding another two cards.

No. He didn't want to kill me. My shoulders rolled as I crouched, still maintaining the same amount of distance between us. His eyes roved over the lean lines of my calves and thighs, his tongue wetting his lower lip as he flipped a card over and over and over. I felt an odd swell of excitement, a buzzing in the shells of my ears.

He just wanted to play.

Horrifyingly, I felt my lips curl, my muscles tensing deliciously.

"There she is," he murmured, his eyes rapt on my progress as I slid a bit to the left. How did someone have eyes like that? Like melting gold, like the reflection of a harvest moon on water. There was a ravenous interest in those eyes, their depths churning and boiling. I had never known eyes like his before - so tantalizing and yet with such darkness. His gaze slid over my crouched form, his eyes straying to the light way that my fingers grazed the ground, the line of my leg as I kept one splayed outward. It was a pose for rats, meant for quick escapes. Looking at him, tall and much larger than I was, I knew that he didn't understand the tendency. Had he ever been the smaller one? The one that walked away broken? He was a shark and I'm sure he had eaten many a fish, no matter the beauty.

"I see that you still haven't quelled that particular tendency." His fingers splayed and the cards rolled with them, just another extension of his body. I shivered, thinking of the way that Minoru and I seemed to flow in much the same way. For a moment, there was a deafening roar, something overpowering crashing over me until all I could see were those cards - waves of cards crashing from one clawed hand to another. My mind rang with it, my breath sawing from my throat in long, drawn pushes.

Desperately, I tried to pull myself from it, my eyes squeezing shut as I felt myself sinking further and further into a reality that I wasn't sure was my own.

"_Ma! Ma!" My hands shook, a warm wetness drying between my fingers. Metal stung my nose along with something meatier - something fouler. "Don't leave me!"_

"Focus." The soft zing of a card being released was the only warning that I had, my cheek stinging as it bit through a sliver of my ear. Gasping, I stumbled to the side, blinking away whatever vicious nightmare had followed me into the living world. Hisoka's eyes had gone hard, glinting in the moonlight, any trace of a smile turning into a focused line. He had that card in his hand again - the one that listed me as a target. His only target.

My stomach rolled, clammy sweat making the sea air feel blistering.

His eyes roamed over me. "You're usually sharper than this, Mori."

I could feel the implications, sense the double-edged way that that one statement was meant. He had told me how quickly his amusement could turn to ravenous destruction. I blinked, forcing myself to remain steady as I took another calculated step back. Would I be able to outrun him? Maybe. If I could get to Minoru. I could feel him tugging impatiently at that cord that we shared now, his senses firmly in-tune with the level of duress I was under.

Still, at this distance, I would have to put a little more focus into actually communicating with him. "Forests remind me… I don't like being alone in them."

"Odd quirk," Hisoka mused but his eyes were sharp, running over me with the precision of the deaf follow another's hands - reading my faces, reading the tension, and the sweat coursing down my body. Finally, they stopped at my hands, clenching and unclenching at my side. "Your brothers don't seem to be the type to live in the forest." A single brow quirked. "Aren't thieves only successful when they have someone to take from?"

I gritted down on my urge to tell him to shove it, sliding to the side as he followed me, his eyes becoming sharper, more intent. I tensed, sensing the change in my very bones. Still, I answered him. "We don't. This was from the life I lived before I found them."

He moved too fast. One moment he was smirking, his shoulders hunched forward like a lion about to pounce and then the next-

"You're going to need to let that go if you want to survive, pet." His breath was hot against my ear, his lips warm and surprisingly soft against the shell of my ear. The prick of a card, sharp as a dagger ghosted across my throat. I didn't breath - I barely blinked, the night around us dark and quiet. It was just him and I clutched in that moment - two bodies taking up one small place in a very dense forest. Against my back, I could feel the solid roll of his chest, the warmth of his body just a centimeter away from my own. "If you let those memories cloud your judgment, something bigger and meaner will come and tear you to shreds."

A dribble of blood pooled along the edge of the card, slipping down my throat. Against my ear, I felt the sharp intake of his breath, his free hand going suddenly to grasp my jaw, tipping my head a bit to the side. It was an intimate embrace - strange and forbidden in its very existence. His very presence made my blood hum, my skin tingling with a mixture of emotions that I couldn't completely untangle.

But the thing that I did know was that that taut thread that stretched between us was made of violence - an urge to destroy that I couldn't completely fathom. He brought it out of me like I was sleeping before I met him - before I came to this competition.

My breath caught as his tongue ran warmly along the shell of my ear, the open wound there stinging as he gave a low hum of approval. That hand locked around my jaw tightened for a moment, his nails digging a bit into my cheeks. His whole body was big - so much bigger than me. How many years had he trained to be _this_ strong? I could sense it just in the restrained grip on my skin. Without a second thought, I knew that he would be able to crush my jaw into tiny, bite-sized bits if he felt the urge.

"Is that why you never talk about your own?" I whispered and against my back I felt him go stock still.

I took my chance, driving my elbow into his unprotected side, feeling the burst and smear of warm blood coat my hoodie as I drove it into the old wound. For a moment, I caught sight of his surprised stare, his face frozen into an expression of wonder as I slid from his grip, putting the same amount fo distance between us as before.

The blood was sliding down my throat in slow rivulets now, I could feel it dribbling to dampen my collar and undershirt. Even to pull off that little move, I had had to let the card slide a little further into my exposed skin. Not a pleasant exchange but one that I was willing to make.

Smirking, Hisoka brought that exact card to his lips, his eyes locking mine as his tongue slid along the blood still dampening the surface. My mouth tightened into a slimline, something in me itching to wipe that smug look off his face. _But_ \- My lips turned, my eyes catching the slight turn fo his body as he slid his injured side away, standing to the side.

_A game_, I realized, my blood roaring as I brought my fists up to guard my face. The smiling, the licking - all a game. A very clever diversion from his injuries. My eyes slid over the ripped, reddened fabric at his shoulder and then down further to his now-protected side. Whoever had given him those injuries in Trick Tower had probably paid a hefty price but I wasn't about to let their efforts go uncharted.

"What are you thinking about, pet?" he called amiably, his eyes cat-like as we circled each other. Once. Twice.

I forced all of the nerves and edgy emotions out of my voice. "I'm thinking about how long guys will wait to make the first move." I batted my lashes at him. "It's cute that you're shy."

A sharp, amused snort was left in the air, echoing in the place that he had been.

For one painful second, I regretted my taunt. Hisoka didn't look like the type that got them often.

I let out a ragged gasp, rolling to the side before the massive trunk of a leg could ram into my side. A sharp, jarring burst of wind followed the movement, the hair on the back of my neck raising as I realized just how much damage that would have been going into my ribs.

Only for a second -, that's all the time I could give myself before Hisoka was grinning, his other leg swiftly kicking out to make up for his missed one. No time to dodge this time. I brought my arm down, taking the brunt of the kick in my shoulder before I slammed the heel of my palm into his calf, once, twice and then a third time.

A hit like that would have cramped up anyone elses leg, forcing Hisoka to turn and give me his injured side if he wanted to protect it.

Not Hisoka. His eyes blazed an ungodly amber as he stared down at me, that smile only a small slice of a thing as he flipped, tugging his injured leg away with the grace of an acrobat. How had he gotten such grace - such utter control of his body?

My whole arm throbbed, my fingers shaking from the sudden break in combat. Nothing broken - he must have tempered that blow - pulling back so that he hadn't done anything more than broken more than a dozen blood vessels in my arm. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt like a fucking bitch though.

"How's your arm?" he quipped, his voice sly as he smirked across the clearing at me.

I moved before I could think too hard about it, sending a kick to his injured side that he deftly deflected with his hand, pushing me away like a doll. Crouching, I reversed, sending my foot forward again in another attempt to take damage his leg once more.

"The problem…" I gritted down a scream of pain as he sent another vicious kick to my side, the impact making my head spin. Hisoka's voice was low, calm. "With fighting low to the ground…" Another kick and I went sprawling, the attack falling too quickly for me to do anything more than absorb it. Dirt and rocks scraped along my face, my body rolling like a barrel pushed down a hill. My lunges squeezed, all of the air inside of me huffing out in one painful gasp as I slammed into the trunk of a tree. My vision wavered for a moment, darkening around the edges as his lean figure steps closer to me, those eyes burning, burning, ever-burning as he crouches.

Grunting, I tried to scramble up, my shoulder giving a yelp of protest as I leveled up onto my elbows only to be stopped by a hand to my throat. Hisoka's hand, his fingers spanning the full expanse as his eyes melt down at me, soft and buttery. Completely under control. I grit back my instinctive curse giving into the gentle pressure as he forces me slowly back to the ground.

Tall and hulking, he looms over me, his eyes crinkling as he gives me a slow smirk.

"The problem with fighting low to the ground…" His breath is hot against my lips, his body so close that my skin tingles with the almost grazes as he levers himself over me, his legs bracketing my own in an overwhelmingly dominating kind of way. He knows it too. He knows what he's doing. Tensely, I keep my hands at my side, my mouth tipping down in a sullen snarl. Hisoka's smirk only grows, the hand not on my throat resting casually beside my head. He's all around me now - completely dominating all of my senses until there's nothing but his looming wall of muscles, his sweet smell, his eyes keeping mine captive, his lips whispering across mine, so close to kissing that my heart squeezes painfully. "Is that you limit yourself. Balling yourself up means that you give your opponents a smaller target but it also means that on every hit, you will sustain more severe damage."

My mind drifts, taking inventory of the throbbing pain radiating from my shoulder to my wrist and even into my side. He had bruised my whole left side with that hit - one more and I would have more than likely broken something.

"Hmmm," he murmurs, amused. His eyes travel over my face, taking in the defensive glint in my eyes. Slowly, his thumb begins to make circles along the side of the throat, sending tingles of awareness through my spine and into my gut. His teeth flash, more wolf than human. "But you're a quick learn, aren't you, pet? You won't let me get this far next time."

No. I sure as fuck wouldn't. But the fact that he was saying it to me like a statement of fact while he had me pinned to the ground just pissed me off.

I felt my aura roar up, snarling and humiliated. Baring my teeth, I let it lash against him, pounding it back until Hisoka's eyes widened, his golden eyes glinting with confusion and awe. Reflexively, his aura met mine, shivering as they connected.

"You're being quite naughty tonight, aren't you?" he mused, still fighting against me. A single brow quirked, his fingers tightening around my neck.

"Is this the reason you hunted me down?" I asked, finding myself more irritated than cowed. I hated how much stronger he was than me. I hated that he seemed to have all the answers. My lips curled back in a not so friendly smile. "Or did you want to come and take my badge?"

His eyes went hard, calculating. "I don't think that you would be stupid enough to keep it with you when you're little friend is wandering around."

Ichihiro. He was talking about Ichihiro. My aura slammed into his, forcing his own to grapple with mine as they slid along each other.

"I didn't think you were paying that much attention," I snapped sweetly, watching his eyes darken, a ticking starting at the corner of his jaw. Like he was trying to restrain himself. I smiled, my aura flaring out, pummeling his from the sides.

His voice was deep, darker than any night when he replied. "I always pay attention to things that are mine."

"I don't think you can handle me," I hedged, watching as his aura reared back, trying to force my own down. A thrill of excitement tingled up my toes, tickling my stomach as I watched his brow furrow, that hand around my neck tightening until I could feel the prick of his nails.

His final smile was cold, something sharp and dangerous. "And I don't think that you fully understand your situation."

And just like that, I felt my aura quiver, withering beneath a blast of pure bloodlust, Hisoka's smile still in place as my eyes widened, my breath quickening. It was so overwhelming - so close that I could feel it pounding down at me, my insides churning as every cell in my body screamed for me to get as far away from this man as possible.

"Ah," he breathed, his nose nearly rubbing across my cheek as he took a deep breath - like he was scenting my fear, relishing it. Gently, almost lovingly, that hand that was beside my head tangled with my hair, tugging my head back until his lips were traveling along my chin. "There's that look. Isn't it amazing, Mori? How much of your life is led by it? I could sense it right when you stepped foot in this island - right when you let your little toy fly away-"

"He's - he's not a toy," I forced out, resisting the urge to whimper as that paralyzing aura crushed me. It felt like I was breathing it in, choking on it.

His eyes slid to mine, our gaze connecting in one silent moment. His brows creased. "Then what is he?"

I fumbled for an answer, my mind spinning as it tried to process the question. Was it even one? Wasn't it obvious? "He's - he's an animal. A living thing."

Hisoka blinked, something clicking into place in his mind as he stared down at me. "Oh, Mori," he breathed. "You're much more fascinating than even I imagined."

I reeled, confusion making my mind go blank. Slowly, smiling, he levered off of me, his eyes glinting gold in the moonlight. "What do you-"

"I suggest you check the eastern ridge for your little friend," Hisoka mused, his smile lethal and dangerous like I had just given him a secret. "He's been quite busy since you last saw him."

My stomach dropped, my hands shaking with the combination of the information and whatever had transpired between us in the last few moments. His fingers slowly released me, allowing me to scramble back to the base of the tree. My mind worked rapidly to try and process everything.

"What did you mean?" I panted, cold sweat dribbling down my back as he turned, his gait languid as he made his way back into the depths of the forest. My heart gave a hard squeeze, fear pumping through me. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"

Those eyes slid back to me, melting butter over a fire that was too hot.

The smile that he gave me was chilling. "You might want to dig into your past with him, pet. Because he most certainly is not a living thing."

* * *

_As always, I hope that you all know that you're officially part of my cult. Buckle up, bitches. Here we like pumpkin spice lattes and fangirl over killer clowns. Welcome to the gang and there's free tissues at the bar right next to the chocolate milk and bubblegum._


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey, ya'll. Hope you're doing well. 2020 seems intent on killing me since the fires in CA literally got within 7 miles of my house. We had to even evacuate. It was awesome. Totally enjoyed it. But anyway, this chapter is a bit... Well, you'll see._

_I won't be answering reviews this chapter but every single one of you guys GAVE ME LIFE. Seriously. With how frankly unstable my life is right now every one of you guys make me smile. And I really appreciate it._

* * *

_Chapter 18_

_Splash_! I resisted the urge to shriek, tucking my mouth into my shoulder as the cold water gurgled over my raw, bruised flesh. I had taken a lot more damage than I had originally thought, the skin around my bicep swelling up and darkening almost instantly.

No human could be that strong, right? I bit down on my hood as I forced my arm a little deeper, my mind buzzing with burning pain before sizzling to a dull throb. Minimal options had led me to the nearest stream, forced me to roll up my sleeves and ice it as much as possible. The fight with Hisoka wouldn't stop me from going after Ichihiro but my injuries were quickly adding up - split hands, minor scrapes and bruises, bruised side, and now a nearly fractured arm.

"_Arnica, panda,_" my mother's voice whispered to me. For a moment, I could feel the hot steam of her breath on my ear. The smell of herbs and lavender on her skin. "_Crushed arnica will always take the pain away_."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear my own hair out. More than that, I wanted to _fucking make her stop_. I wanted to never hear her voice again. It was like she was here - like I was slowly going out of my mind in these woods.

"Stop it," I snarled, yanking my arm out of the stream and then stilling as my gut tightened. Talking to invisible people was the first sign that you were going mad.

I gulped, revolted and scared. Before I left this place, I would probably lose my mind. My jaw tightened, my teeth scraping together until I felt like I was grinding them away to stubs. My eyes burned, dragging across the morning dawn horizon and to the eastern front. As long as I got to Ichihiro first did it really matter?

I dodged past a tangle of roots, leaping over the foliage and then stopped, crouching. This part of the island wasn't as dense as the other side. The trees were tall with thin trunks and reedy roots that speckled the ground below, gouging through the ground below. It made the ground hard to manage, dips and valleys alternating at rapid, uneven degrees.

My eyes ran across the area once more, trying to discern any bit of abnormality. And finding nothing. I wasn't that great of a tracker. I had learned to rely to heavily upon Minoru for that. For that reason, it had been very hard to even make my way this far, following the subtle scrape along the base of a root, the scent of sweat that permeated a certain area.

Now I had all but ran any trail dry. Gnawing at my lip, I took a tentative step to the side, drawing closer to the ridge of the cliff just to my right. There was no way that-

Snap!

Two things happened at once. One was that my feet went jerking out from under me, sending me teetering to the side in a flurry of hair and hands as I tried to right myself. Two was that the foliage around me shivered and I finally noticed something that Minoru would have probably pinned down once we got within ten feet of the area. That the smattering of leaves was too dense in this areas. That there was a net obviously hidden just below the foliage.

I let out a hoarse scream, trying failing to right myself, to snap my daggers down as I went catapulting into the air, the net and leaves cinching up and around me so that I was all but trapped within a giant bag. My shoulder throbbed as the trap jerked, sending me toppling as it rebounded, swaying to a rough stop.

My heart leapt, my whole side on fire as I tried to get my bearings. The whole world spun the ground so far below me as the trap twirled lazily. Moss and dry, crusty leaves cocooned me, making it hard to see any of my surroundings as it stuck to the thick rope that made up the base of the trap. It was well designed, sturdier than I had thought.

"I guess this means that you're not that great of a tracker, huh?" It was a leisurely call, one that sent my lunges into overdrive as I scrambled about in my little cage, making the swaying even worse as I tried and failed to tear my way through with my bare hands. Dirt collected beneath my nails, coating my hands.

Above me, I heard a bit of quiet rustling, the jiggling of the trap getting worse as someone grabbed ahold and pulled it in like a fisher reeling in crab cages. I gulped, sweat beading along my brow as I turned my gaze to the tip of the trap, the only area not obscured by dirt and moss where it tapered into the cinch of the trap.

I opened up my mental walls, draining some more of my energy as I yelled out for Minoru. I had no idea how far away he was, no clue if he would be able to pinpoint where I was in time-

Black pits peaked over the edge of the trap, the beady pins almost obscuring the white outer ring of his eyes as Ichihiro peered inside. I would have thought that seeing him would be my main source of fear. I was surprised to find that it wasn't.

It was his lack of emotion, the way I could only see those eyes of his, nearly glowing a sickly white that heightened the darkness of his pupil. Seeing those eyes peering down at me, wide and interested like a thoughtless animal, looking into a pit -

My muscles locked down, fear pumping through me so quickly that my head went light for a moment.

Trapped. I was trapped. An insect inside of a box, waiting for him to turn my contained upside down so that he could stomp down on me.

A wave of deja vu chilled me, bile rising in my throat as he blinked, his eyes going wider and wider as he stared down at me. The whites growing and growing until they looked like moons in my sheltered sky.

"Cozy?" he asked and I bit my tongue at the warmth in his voice, the deepness of his voice.

My teeth clacked together, my shoes sinking into the unsteady moss beneath me as I struggled to my feet. "Why - why are you doing this?"

I cursed myself, hating the raw insecurity in my own voice. My confidence had ebbed considerably since the beginning of this trial. First, it had been the inability to find him. The sudden headaches and random flashes of my past. And now… now he had me. Trapped.

I couldn't put a name to it. Couldn't understand why he would want to best me in such a humiliating way. Not a clean fight but trapping me in a dirty hovel, watching me squirm for however long he kept me. He was enjoying this. And the most chilling thing was that I didn't know how long he intended to keep me.

His eyes crinkled, some of his hair falling forward to frame them like curtains about to eat up the stage. "Do I need to have a reason?"

My teeth gnashed together. "You've made it your mission to terrorize me. To draw me out. To threaten my _brothers_. I don't even _know_ you."

"Oh." His eyes went wide again like he was trying to lap up every detail of me trapped in here. "But I know you, _little mouse_." My palms itched. Would it be a good idea to draw my daggers? Would I be able to saw through the ropes? Not quickly. I could tell that much from the overlapping triangles that I could see above. He had doubled lapped them. "You come in here and you fool everyone with your wide eyes and your cute face. And then you slit their throats, _steal from them_ when they aren't looking. Women like you deserve to be put down. Treacherous vipers."

I let out a tight laugh, edging back so that my back hit the net behind me. My dagger was a cool reassurance, slitting easily through the moss as I subtly started to saw through the nets beneath. "Sounds like you're jealous."

His face didn't so much as twitch, his eyes staring wide, calmly detached. "My mother was like you. She'd bring guys back to our house. Sleep with them while I was in the next room. They'd come back to the next morning, screaming about how she recorded it all. How she had told their wives." I flinched, sweat dribbling down my spine as I saw the glint of a knife dangling from his fingers, poised just above me. My mind buzzed, something about having the tip of that blade pointed squarely down at me, making my head give a throb of recognition.

"So I remind you of your mother?" I asked, trying to sound brave, even insolent but ending up sounding breathless like someone was squeezing down on my windpipe.

The slow curling of his lips crinkled up his eyes.

He didn't answer.

Instead, he let go of the dagger.

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_As always, welcome back to our cult meetings and if you're new here I welcome you. On Mondays, we do a read-along and Wednesday through Friday is for silent contemplation and cookies. Sunday is a down day because we're classy like that._


	19. Chapter 19

_I'm going to post this chapter without any review responses but just know that I LIVE for all of your words and thoughts. It makes my day every single day. I love you all and stay safe in this crazy, crazy world._

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Looking up at that blade falling down, down, down, I thought for the first time that I had never felt so scared, so utterly off-kilter with the rest of the world. But then, I mused, that wasn't exactly true. As a child, I had felt scared most days. Especially in the later days. The days before-

My mind recoiled, fighting against me.

_Stop, stop,_ it begged and I could almost see the younger me, hair long and tangled, crouched beside that campfire. _You don't need to remember. Why would you need to remember? Don't make us._

But I was so tired. That's all it really comes down to really. How tired are you? How much has the world beaten you down? How many people get to tread on you until you're just a worn husk with all the darkness bared to the world?

"Stop," I breathed, feeling the dewy warmth of the net against my back as that blade sliced through the clumpy floor just where I had been standing a moment before.

"What?" Ichihiro hummed from above. "Oh drat. It missed."

._..he most certainly is not a living thing,_ Hisoka had murmured in parting and my eyes burned, my head throbbing as I tried desperately to pull myself together. I couldn't think about this now. Now wasn't the _time-_

_It's time. It needs to happen tonight._

"_Panda." I can hear her now, her voice soft and sure. She was always like that - even when things started to crumble. "Panda, oh, my panda~" She always sang that last part, her voice bubbling up into laughter so contagious that it pulled me out of the deepest sleep and into the waking world._

"_Ma," I yawned, rolling over, blinking blurrily up at the flash of teeth, her lips full and tucked back like a curtain being drawn back to let in the morning sun._

_Those days are the ones I barely remember. The good ones where we would go out and pick the vegetables growing in our tediously tended garden out back. Where she would force me to do the small chores like sweeping and I would complain and she would start to sing, her voice drowning mine out until I dissolved into obedience. Isn't that odd? I know that those memories are there - perfect day after perfect day but… they went right along with the bad. I locked them up and now… now I can only remember the miserable._

_It started with a letter._

_A single morning where she didn't wake me. I can taste the cotton in my mouth, the sweaty mess of tangled sheets that comes when you've been lying down too long._

"_Ma?" My body feels stiff, unused and yet worn like a stiff wash rag that got left in the wash so long that it dried. Morning light has turned into an afternoon blaze, pressing against the drawn curtains like an impatient caller. "Ma?"_

_That letter. I can see the edges, small and wrinkled like it had been discarded and then mailed before reaching us. It was pressed beneath her palm, her eyes wide and unseeing even though they were focused so intently on that one scrap of paper. She wasn't reading it, her back straight, face smoothed into a blank that made the whites of her eyes seem glinting in the morning light._

_For the first time, I felt a well of tension zing through my blood. I was scared. My breath stuttered, my feet going clammy against the scratchy wood of our floors. I whispered, "Ma?"_

_Her head snapped to the side, her eyes still wide, face still stuck in that blank mask like a marionette that had just had it's strings jerked. I recoiled, skittering back a step._

"_Panda." My stomach rolls, my nerves spiking again at the stiff way that her shoulders are bent forward. Bent towards me. Her eyes run over me, down to my toes and then right back up to the very tip of my scalp._

_My breath hitched, something alien itching at the back of my nape. Run, it seemed to say. Run because this place isn't safe._

_But then she blinked and a light seemed to click on behind those staring, dark eyes. My mother blinked and then smiled, her body relaxing one joint at a time. I remember the moment of fleeting confusion, the doubt I had that turned into vague denial. My mind was playing tricks on me. Her smile was soft. "Panda. What would you like for breakfast?"_

_There was nothing more for a day or two - no letter, no late starts to the day. My mother was warm, welcoming - everything that I had ever wanted. I loved the way she combed my damp hair as I drifted to sleep. I loved the way that she tied my shoes when we went on walks. And even when she sang over me, I loved her. Even the odder things - the newer things like the candle that burned through the night just on the other side of the house where she slept. Even the sudden lessons that seemed to be whimsical - almost ludicrous like meditation and speed tests._

_Even the times when I would wake up in the middle of the night and feel her fingers still tangled in my hair, the moon casting a sickly white glaze to her open eyes as she stared down at me._

_But I was a child and children are vivacious creators. Children can explain away anything. And so I explained away my mother's odd behaviour. I let her have her staring and lessons and odd midnight whispers. I gave her these things with an air of superiority. Being in on these secrets made me feel older, wiser, more a part of my mother's life._

_The package came two weeks after the letter - wrapped simply with twine, the box made of cardboard. There was no note, no return address._

_I begged to see what was inside of it. I sat outside with my mother as she stared at it, her back straight, her nails pick, pick, picking at the knuckle of her other hand. I dropped hints, saying that my birthday was going to be here before we knew it even though it had just passed a month ago. I lamented, bargained, raged. She returned my emotions with the lack of her own, her face never flinching, her words distant, evasive._

_Our lessons picked up._

"_Breathe." My mother's breath was warm and steady against my cheek, centering me. Beneath my lids, I saw blackness mixed with the flickers of candlelight that dotted the living room. "What do you see?"_

_Odd. We never had classes at night. Night time was for sleeping and nothing more. I could hear the soft clicks of my mother's shoes as she circled me and then stopped, lean forward to… I resisted the urge to recoil, open my eyes and stop this game. In my mind's eyes she was willowy, rigid in much the same way as an unused doll, her pupils thin and beady inside the alabaster cast of her sclera._

_I stayed quiet._

"_You have to see something, peanut," she would whisper and in those words I heard an edge of irritation and I would stay quite still. Because there was nothing that I could tell her. "The __edge__. That's what you see. That darkness is the very edge of what you are. If you know your boundaries then no one will be able to defeat you."_

_Then there was the lavender scent of her breath across my cheeks. A chill and she was pulling away._

_I stared into the darkness within. It seemed safer than whatever darkness was growing in her._

_I found the box beneath our porch, covered in dirt, piles of mud patted around it like a rodent had tried to keep it tucked away. But the only thing that could have done this… A floorboard above my head creaked and I scrambled away, crawling under our raised house and sprinting to the woods beyond our backyard._

"_PANDA!" I heard my mother calling but I didn't stop. Running away would become a safety net._

_Mother stopped combing my hair at night. She stopped singing me awake. She stopped making me do chores. Instead I would wake up in the afternoon. The smell of rotting food was becoming more and more pungent, filtering to me from our sink and table along with the softer scent of unwashed skin._

_I stilled, resisting the urge to curl farther into the blankets. Even before my eyes opened, I could feel her. I could feel her eyes, wide like an organ that had had all the skin pulled away from it. Her breath didn't smell like lavender any longer and it hit my skin in moist bursts, her chair creaking as she drifted a bit closer to me, leaning over me… closer… closer…_

_Most days I would lay like that for hours - however long it took for her to take a deep, ragged breath and then level herself up from that chair and drag herself out of the room._

_I don't know when I took the bear from its hiding space within the box beneath the porch. I don't even know how long I had it._

"_Why do you have that?"_

_My muscles locked, cramping, my fingers turning white around the small blue bear in my fingers. It looked just like a bear from my study books, all soft fur and patched belly._

"_I said...why do you have that, Panda?"_

_"I-I haven't given him a name-name yet," I stammered, yanked off-balance as her hand closed along my bicep. Her eyes were bottomless._

_Odd how the mind can play tricks on you - how it wraps itself in bubble wrap and makes you believe one thing is inside when it's really another. In my dreams, things were softer. In my dreams, my mother was still the same woman who had raised me for the better part of my life. She was soft, warm, scented like fresh lavender._

_But that's exactly what it was - a trick._

_It takes me ten days to figure out that my mother is never coming back. It takes me six days to stop flinching when she enters a room. It takes me 24 hours to understand that a bruise from where someone hits you won't be cured with band aids and neosporin._

_The woman that's taken my mother's skin doesn't apologize. After she hits me, she takes the bear and the box and I don't see them again for nearly two months. I don't lament. I don't bargain. I don't rage. I go along with her lessons. I try my best in her speed tests. And above everything else, I don't leave my bed after she tells me to go to bed. I don't leave my bed when I hear the whispers. I don't leave my bed when I hear her crying. And I don't leave my bed when I hear her creep into my room and fold herself into the chair beside my head._

"_Tonight," she breathes and I resist the urge to pull away as her moist, acrid breath hits my cheeks. Her spidery fingers curl in my hair, yanking at the roots in some tortuous form of brushing. "Is going to be special. Fun."_

_I don't answer. Lately she hasn't needed me to answer. Lately she's only needed me to do. The candles in our house flicker, wavering in the inky darkness that the night casts from just outside our window._

_My feet stumble on the steps of our house as she drags me along, her grip surprisingly strong even though I can't remember the last time I saw her eat._

"_Come on, Panda," she breathes, her eyes fixed on the roar of the fire just in front of our house. I can just make out the outline of… I stumble again, my stomach tightening. The bear - the one from the box - sits just beside the flames, it's body somehow grotesque against the glowing light._

_My fingers shake, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as I see the sharp glint of metal just beside it's crumpled body. Futility, I pull against her grip, my shins splattering in dirt as my heels dig into the soft ground. "Ma - ma-"_

"_Ssshhhh," she soothes me, her knees hitting the dirt with a soft thud as she reaches the area just before the fire. Just within reach of the dagger. My eyes flick nervously from one item to the next, my mind spinning dizzily._

"_I don't like this," I whisper, my heart rabbiting, unsure if I'm overreacting or if I need to run or if I need to claw my way out of her grip or-_

"_Panda." Something in her voice makes me pause, my breath evening for a moment as I see a wan smile curl her lips. She's there. Not fully. She looked tired and thin and dirty but I can see her just beyond. "You love me don't you?"_

_I hesitate. And then berate myself because why do I need to hesitate? "Of course. Yes."_

_Her eyes soften. "And I love you." Her fingers comb through my hair, gently. My blood sings. Everything will be fine. The eyes that I'm staring into are my mothers. Everything will be fine. Her gaze searches mine. "You have so much potential, panda." She scoffs. "So much more than I ever had. I can see it growing in you every lesson." Her voice teeters off, darkness creeping into her irises. "That's why tonight you need to do everything that I tell you to do. Do you understand?"_

"_I-" Flighty nerves jump through me, confusing me. "Yes? But-"_

"_Good." Her fingers reach back, gripping the dagger with a swiftness that makes me jerk back. But she still has a hand on my bicep._

_I yelp, scared, unsure. "Ma, I don't want to. Don't make me. Please."_

_Cold hands clasped around my jaw, jerking my eyes up. "This is the way of things. You are strong. Stronger than me. It-"_

_"I DON'T WANT IT!" My throat is raw. Raw from the smoke. Raw from the overwhelming fear that's pumping through me. I felt a scream building in my throat, my eyes ticking to the side, dragged by the crushing darkness that was emanating from that bear, it's eyes beady, pricking with the light from the fire. I had wanted it so bad but - "PLEASE! I DON'T WANT IT! I DON'T WANT IT-"_

_"Don't be afraid of it, panda. Fear will get you nowhere." But I am afraid. I can feel it clawing up my throat, threatening to spill out as the flash of jagged teeth glint in the firelight. Her teeth. "It will be as much a part of you as your own nen. It will make you stronger-"_

_"Then why don't you take it?" I sob, clawing uselessly at the hand she has wrapped around my bicep. I can feel blood and skin collecting under my nails but she doesn't even flinch._

_There's a flash of surprise that stills her features for a moment. She wasn't expecting me to ask such a question. And for a moment, I think she'll let me go. I think she won't complete the ceremony._

_"Because I don't have enough nen to sustain it," she finally whispers and that scream breaks lose as she grabs a knife and slits my hand open._

_Pain. Pain. Pain. So much pain. I gasp through it, wailing through it. My hearing pops as I watch my mother slit her own palm open and then press both of our hands to the hilt of the dagger. She's whispering, whispering something that sounds too quick, too silky to be anything but nonsense._

_Her eyes meet mine once more, feverish. "I love you," she whispers, a moment before she forces the dagger cupped in both of our hands into her stomach and then drags it to the side. Blood burst warm and jarring across my arm, splattering onto my shirt and neck and face._

_Am I screaming? Or am I quiet? How long does it take for her gurgled gasps to sliver into silence? I don't know. I'll never know, I suppose. All I know is that I stay there through the night, the dagger still held in my slippery grip. All I know is that when I finally force my eyes to the side, away from whatever hell I was staring into, my mind blinks once, stuttering on and off like a faulty electrical line._

_Because the bear is glowing, swirls slashing through it's fur with a reddish, glittering light. Because there's another hell that's opening up before me, fueled by blood and decay. And it's staring right at me._

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	20. Chapter 20

Something inside of me slips. I can feel it like an organ being exposed, the sharpest blade slipping beneath my skin and gently prying up the layer of flesh. Bare. Vulnerable.

Pain lances suddenly through my shoulder, drawing me back with a sharpness that makes my breath wheeze and then floods out of me. I'm screaming. Screaming louder than I've ever screamed, the air whipping out of me tearing at the tissue of my throat.

I'm screaming but not from the physical pain of one of Ichihiro's knives finally sinking into my shoulder, blood spluttering and wetting my shirt. I scream because I can feel my mother's blood on my hands. I scream because that _thing_ that - that ate my mother's life - I scream again, one wail building on top of the other until it feels like my whole entire world is shaking with it.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." Ichihiro's voice is distant, as small as a gnat.

The moss and dirt and leaves slides stiffly under the hem of my hoodie, crumpling the skin of my back as my body goes loose and I slide to the bottom of the net. I can feel the beginning of a headache lancing through my skull, burning my eyes with hot pricks. There's a tug in my chest and I suddenly feel bile burning the back of my throat.

_It doesn't make sense-_

_Yes, it does. Don't lie to yourself. That time is done, isn't it?_

_God, just need some - some distance-_

_Stop running away._

I throw up, retching into the side of the net and half-heartedly avoiding the splatter as Ichihiro gives a crow of delight and disgust.

She exchanged - exchanged her aura - No. My head throbs and a low sob freezes my face. I feel my whole body going cold. That familiar tug intensifying in my chest. Oh god. I know what she did. I know what she did because it's _attached_ to me now. My aura - _nen_ \- she had called it _nen_. My head gave another dizzying throb and the pain in my shoulder intensified to a degree that made my teeth chatter uncontrollably.

My stomach rolled uncontrollably once more and I barely had time to turn my head before I vomited up foam and saliva. Somehow that made it worse. Somehow once I reached the empty zone, my body tried to reject my very organs, gagging and coughing until I felt my eyes go unfocused and splotchy.

"God, what a fucking weakling," I heard Ichihiro whisper happily. "Are you scared, little mouse? My little mousie, mousie~"

She had tied my nen and hers to that _creatures_. By giving that vessel a blood sacrifice she had - she had activated some horrible, disgusting chain of events. That tugging wasn't a link. It wasn't a bond. A hysterical laugh burst from my lips, my eyes widening unseeingly at the vomit dampened moss beneath my fingers. Cold shivers racked my body, raising every hair on my body. It was a _parasite_. It had sucked her life up like a fine meal and it was slowly devouring my nen, chomping through my very life force like a leech attached to an unsuspecting victim.

_Because I don't have enough nen to sustain it, _she had said right before she had forced me to -

My muscles seized, gagging and bleating out manic bouts of laughter. I wanted to die. I blinked, choking down another giggle. God, I wanted to _die_. My mouth worked silently, praying or begging, I didn't know. I wanted to go back to not remembering. I wanted to not have to see her there, her blood and gore making the blade handle slick-

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" Another blade whizzed past my ear, reminding me of the burning in my shoulder, the tendons and muscles that the blade embedded there was still slowly snipping through with every one of my moves. Above me, Ichihiro's face twisted into an ugly tantrum, his eyes wide and feverish. "PAY-"

The roar was deafening. My insides went cold, my brain going numb. Ichihiro's eyes darted to the side and I saw the terror there for a moment before frenzied curiosity brightened them. Like he didn't fully understand how emotions worked and was clicking through them like pictures in an album.

Another roar and the net trap shivered with it.

Ichihiro's gaze leapt wildly from me and then to the left, his tongue slipping out to wet his shriveled lips, a drop of saliva dropping toward me. "I think your little friends about to be here and I don't fully want to face him. Yet."

My stomach rolled again. Stay. The irrational request made me flinch. I wanted him to drag me along with him. I would rather he cut me up, dicing through my skin like a steak dinner then meet - _Minoru_ \- I gagged again, my heart ripping open again. God. I had given it a _name_.

Teeth flashed overhead. "Bye, mousie."

I could feel the scramble of his body as he shimmied away and to another tree. And then… nothing…

My nose stung with the overwhelming scent of human waste. I was sitting in my own filth. And I didn't even care enough to try and scramble away. My head tipped back, blinking up at the dimming light in the sky, quivering like a beating organ as my body shook. Blood dribbled hotly from where the knife edges had sliced cleanly through the skin at my clavicle, sinking until it sliced through my trap almost completely.

I would… what would I do? What kind of creature had I shared my bed with - my life? My home? My _brothers_? I thought of that cold night, hungry and scared behind that wretched garbage can. Because of him - _it_. That _thing_. I would slaughter it. Hatred ignited in me, warming the chill in my body.

I felt it calling out to me. _Mori! Mori, I'm here! I'm going to get you down._

My eyes stayed rapt, watching as the blue of the sky was eclipsed for the moment and my trap shook. I wanted to laugh. One trap saving me from another. How ironic. I must be a good meal source for it to cater to me as it did. It took my mother without even a spluttering. But me… it had chewed on me for so long now, barely burning through enough of my nen for me to notice.

The netting around me loosened, sinking down around me as the moss beneath my knees grew solid. I didn't move. Tired. Wary. Hateful.

The last of the netting finally dropped, revealing sun-dappled forests. And Minoru, his beady onyx eyes glinting in the low-light. His usual azure coat, matted, leaving the glittering swirls of red looking muddy. He was so big - almost 3 times my size. Slowly, I rose, feeling my whole body burning with pain and anger alike. That wouldn't stop me from butchering him like the insect he had revealed himself to be.

My eyes ran over him, numb. "Did you know? This whole time?"

Minoru's ears flattened, his eyes darting from me to the net and then back to me. He looked..._scared_. What a good actor he was. _Mori… is something wrong? Did something happen-"_

"HOW LONG DID YOU KNOW?!" Birds took flight, fleeing as my voice reached a near splittering octave. If possible, Minoru's ears flattened even further, his eyes widening. Spittle flew from my lips, my teeth baring with something savage and full of pain. "I know what you are. I know why you're here. But tell me if all these years-" I stopped, flinching, surprised at how much the betrayal hurt. My voice wavered and I hated myself a little more. Minoru backed up a step, looking somehow smaller, frailer. "You let me believe she died in her sleep." My voice cracked completely, hot, humiliating tears slipping down my cheeks.

Stumbling, Minoru eyed me pleadingly. _I thought - you were so young. And - and you thought she had just - just passed away. Peacefully not - _He stopped, looking unsure and frightened. _Not-_

"Not gutted like a pig by her own daughter?" I hissed, hurting myself and him all at once. "Not some awful catalyst for whatever the fuck you are."

His whole body flinches with the words and I watch as the swirls speckling his fur splutter. _I was trying to protect you, Mori. You have to believe me. You shouldn't have to live-_

"BUT I DO!" The scream startles even me, my voice raw and wild as it echoes all around me. "Every single second of every day - What the fuck even are you?" He starts to answer - I can feel it in the tingle in my head but suddenly that's too much. He's been in my mind for - for years. God, it makes my skin crawl. My hand reaches up reflexively, tearing the dagger from my shoulder before I can think twice about it. My whole body sings with the inevitable pain, locking up for a moment as blood gushes from the exposed tendons. "I don't care. All I need to know is how you got here and what you've been doing to me for the past year. Without my knowledge."

Those swirls stuttering, flickering from dark to light and then back again as Minoru takes another cautious step back. _You can't-_

"Can't kill you?" I question snidely, taking a measured step forward. My shoulder is on fire, dividing my concentration until I think I might either have to pass out or dry heave again. "I've seen you get hurt too many times for that to be true."

_By other people,_ Minoru cuts in and I pause. His eyes glitter back at me and I want to scream in agony and hurt. I want him to stop - stop meaning so much to me. _You can't hurt me, Mori. We're one and the same. When you die, I go with you._

"I've seen you get hurt." Cold sweat is seeping through my collar, dampening my hood. I'm starting to see splotches.

_By other people,_ he repeats and I have to stumble into a tree, my knees suddenly weak. _Most nen beasts are invisible but… but we're a product of our creator and you...both wanted me to be… present. Tangible. So I can speak to you. I can be seen and hurt by the outside world both physically and through nen-based attacks. But in return, I'm weaker than other beasts like me. Not as powerful with only one ability._

"In return?" I repeat dumbly, my head spinning. I'm barely grasping on to consciousness. The overexertion of remembering and getting stabbed added onto my previous injuries is making me weak. The bark scrapes through my sleeve and I realize too late that I'm falling, the impact sending my teeth clacking together.

_Nen always comes at a price,_ Minoru whispers, not coming forward to help me but looking like that one restraint is making his life agony.

Blackness seeps into the edges of my vision and I grit back a laugh, realizing that I'm about to pass out and the only thing to help me is… is the thing that my mom sold her life for. The thing that I killed her for. That laugh bursts out now, sounding more guttural than gleeful.

"God, there's more of you." The image of what those poor bastards had to give to get their hands on something like this makes me scoff as my vision fails. Or maybe I just close my eyes without realizing. It's hard to tell anymore. Sadness tears at me, creating a confusing, polluted mess of anger and regret inside of me. "I trusted you."

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** _Review if you would like more~_ **


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay, I have a really important announcement. A nerve-wracking one. A lot of people have asked me about doing writing tips and I've never really been receptive to it because this is fanfiction and I know that this is someone else's work. However, I do have original works and so, I went for it. I launched my own patreon under mylovelylions which will feature character sketches, updates, original works and fanfiction side stories/updates etc. If you guys want to you can support me over there. I do spend a massive amount of time writing and editing and also plotting these stories and I just thought... why not if I have the original work to back it up?_

_Thank you and I love you guys,_

_Lovely_

* * *

"_Don't be afraid of it, panda. Fear will get you nowhere."_

My bodies in such agony that for a moment my very existence pulses with it, the feeling or torn tendons in my shoulder pulsing with the barely stitched gashes along my palms. It cacoons me, lulling me into a heady wonderland.

Hisoka would be delighted.

_Are you awake? _Minoru's voice is tentative, reserved as it murmurs to me from our bond.

My stomach drops, the last 24 hours rushing back at me like a freight train, smattering me across the planes of...this. Beneath me, I can feel the strong roll of Minoru's… _this thing's_ back, his fur gritty against my own grimy skin. He had somehow gotten me onto his back and now we were lumbering along.

My life had cracked open so easily like the downy shell of a baby turtles, oozing me out into the sweltering beach. I felt my throat tighten as I thought about all the lies that I had believed - all the lies that I had told myself.

So that I would be able to get up the next morning.

So that I would be able to survive.

As much as I despised Minoru, I think I hated myself a little bit more.

"Where are we going?" I couldn't bring myself to communicate back using my mind. Even the one-way connection made my skin crawl, a reminder of how much this thing had wormed its way into my life. In the end, I didn't fear Minoru at all. I hated him. Wouldn't mother be proud?

Beneath me, I felt his head tilt back, his eyes trying to catch me for a moment. _We have a few hours to make it to the meeting place across the island._

The branches above swayed with a light breeze, the salt of the sea beyond stinging my nose. I caught the gurgle of a stream nearby. There was a tension in the air, something that suffused the very marrow of this place. It was the tension that came with running out of time. Of succumbing to desperation.

"Why aren't we flying?" I questioned, moving my fingers experimentally. Ichihiro's knives had been thin little things, more like pig-stickers than anything else. Still, the blade had lanced through the muscles at my shoulder, snipping apart my traps. Grunting, I tried to lift my arm, my whole hand shivering with the strain before I let it fall uselessly back down.

I would be down to one arm in a fight until it healed.

Minoru still hadn't answered, his ears flattening against some internal struggle. Odd how we could be part of the same whole and yet so separate at the same time…

_I can't right now, _he finally murmured and I could feel the tension, the withholding of information. Sneaky, little parasite.

"You're too tired?" I pressed.

Another long pause. _Something like that._

The silence was sweltering. Along my arms and hand, I could feel a rash starting to form under the layers of grime and dried blood. My hair was matted, chalky and a disgusting muddy color instead of its usual silver. He would keep his secrets, I realized almost blankly.

"Stop at the stream to our right," I murmured, strangely emotionless. Empty. Like a can that had been shaken and then upturned, all of the contents spilling around it. I knew that I had Minoru. I knew that I hated myself and my mother and all that came with my past. But I also knew that I was stuck, trapped in whatever contract my mother had made.

Instead, there was a new purpose. One that meant that I had to get stronger. And getting stronger probably meant passing the hunter's exam. Being a hunter would allow me access to a world beyond Belchers Bay. Money and tickets to exclusive parties. Getting out of this pact meant that I needed to find the sender of those letters. Someone had tied my mother's madness up in a pretty, little ribbon and mailed it to our front doorstep. Someone had told her something that made her lose her mind.

When I found them, I would use Minoru to rip them into bite-sized pieces and scatter them across her grave.

I rolled, listless, my dirty converse and socks instantly soaking through as I splashed into the small stream. There were a multitude of these near the mountainous regain of this island, gurgling along happily with sunny rock beds and tree-lined edges.

_Mori… _Minoru started hesitantly. He had positioned himself, hunched and haggard at the base of the nearest tree, his marble eyes darting this way and that. Methodically, I tore off my hoodie and then my shorts and tank top, relishing for a moment in the flash of pain at the action. I deserved pain. _Does this mean you don't want to kill me?_

I slipped off my daggers, each more gangly and useless looking than the last. The springs and tensions had grown loose and now they just looked clunky. I would have to consolidate the parts into one working unit. Naked, splattered in blood and gore and all manner of filth, I waded into the depths of the lake, the water only just coming up to my hip.

I was a small thing, I realized as I looked down at the cut of my abs and the jutting bones at my hips. The only reason that you could see so much packed muscle was because of how skinny I was. How underfed I had become.

Nothing like Hisoka. Muscles like his came from training and _food_. Meal after meal consumed. Strength came from hunger.

_Mori,_ Minoru whispered anxiously to me.

I blinked, drawn back to the present. Why was I thinking so much about him? _Because he's strong_, a small part of me whispered mischievously. _He knew what you were playing this game with before you even knew. We could use that kind of cunning and strength…_

I snorted to myself. _Using_ Hisoka? That was laughable. "You disgust me," I finally said, my skin prickling from the water. My gut twisted as I saw Minoru flinch, hunching down into himself. I didn't look at him, busying myself with scrubbing at my skin. "You've fed off me since I was a babe. You sapped the very life out of my own mother at your creation… But you're useful. And I can't kill you."

_Don't lie to make yourself feel better, _that treacherous voice purred. _You wouldn't want to even if you could._

I shied away from that thought - the thought of me being able to sink my daggers into…

"Instead I'll use you," I pushed on, not caring that Minoru looked so small and frail, his eyes wide as he sunk further and further against the bark. "I'll find whoever sent you to my mother and I'll let you tear his kidneys out while I watch. Simple." I forced myself to run an emotionless eye over Minoru. "You need to wash."

He didn't say anything and I didn't bother pushing. My hands screamed as I tore off the filthy bandages, exposing the raw, stitched skin beneath. No sign of infection but definitely irritation. I couldn't even fully close my hands anymore because of how swollen they were. My shoulder was a lot worse. I could barely lift my arm, the muscles shaking uncontrollably as my damaged tendons tried to control the limb. It was pure agony, hot, and unflinching.

Still, I did it over and over again, lifting, watching as blood bubbled from the enflamed wound and then dropping it. Pain was the only thing I could trust. The only thing that would center me at the moment.

Time slid by.

I dunked my clothes methodically, scrubbing at them as best as possible before ringing them out and tossing them over a branch.

Minoru eventually wandered into the stream, rolling around for a moment before crawling out. I barely looked up, annoyed that I paid attention to him as much as I did. I lifted my arm higher, biting back a scream as something tightened to the point of snapping in my shoulder and back. I dunked underwater, chilled at the temperature but unwilling to come back up until I saw splotches dancing at the corner of my eyes.

_If you die now, you'll never know who latched you onto this creature._ I burst back up, gasping and coughing up water as Minoru sat, watching miserably.

"How much time do we have?" I questioned, keeping my eyes away from the bear.

_One min- _Minoru started.

"Phase Four of the Hunter's exam is now officially over!" a chirpy voice boomed, sending a flock of birds into the air with a screech. "All remaining applicants please return to the starting point at once! You will be given one additional hour to make your way back! If you still haven't returned by the time that hour is up, you will fail the exam! Furthermore, exchanging badges at the starting point is prohibited. Any attempts to do so will result in immediate disqualification."

My eyes slid to the still-damp pile of clothes hanging on the branch. They had been resting there for an hour at the most.

A sigh slipped from my lips as I pulled my panties down from the branch, sliding them on with a grimace. "I guess we better get going then."

* * *

I slid from Minoru's back as the sound of voices grew closer, the familiar chirp of our announcer ringing through the trees with an annoyingly optimistic pitch. The pain in my hands and arm had loosened to a dull throb, one that promised fever and infection if I didn't get treatment soon.

"SO! These ten applicants - oh my!" We broke the treeline, the sun bursting across my skin with an insistence that blinded me. Just a few feet away, I saw the cropping of slim bodies, the rigid stance of ten contestants who had just spent countless hours being hunted. Eleven sets of eyes jumped to me, widening at the blood that was still splattered across my previously white hoodie and the wet tangle of my short, silver curls. The ginger-haired announcer that had been with us at the beginning of this exam blinks once, twice, and then jumped when a small watch at her side gave a low beep.

My eyes slid over the assembly once and then again, catching sight of a familiar shock of green hair and white, the pinned man, Hisoka (always Hisoka), the real estate agent, and the blonde pretty boy, _Ichihiro-_

"My brothers-" I breathed, taking another step forward, hoping desperately that they were just beyond the dip of the embankment, the area where the sea tried to meet the island. No beanies aside from my own. I hissed out a breath, something ugly and hot starting to bubble up inside of me as my eyes slid around and around those people.

"Contestant-" a cheery voice sang, my head whipping around to stare at the nervous tilt of the woman's mouth. "Your badges."

_We always knew that there was a possibility-_ I let out a low snarl, snapping around to glare up at the sad, glittering eyes of Minoru. He stopped talking, sitting back on his haunches so that the slit at his stomach would be exposed.

Anger rolled through me - so much anger and hurt that I thought for a moment that I might die from it. Gone. My stomach clenched, my fingers curling into white-knuckled balls. They were gone. None of them had made it. Guilt was quick to follow, grabbing into my windpipe until I felt like each breath was made of fire. I should have stayed with them. I should have-

"Miss, if you don't have your badges-" A low hiss rolled from somewhere deep inside me, something violent and chaotic gaping wide inside of me as I met the announcer's eyes. Happy eyes. Laughing eyes. _Shut up_, I wanted to scream, my fingers spasming as I imagined wrapping them around her throat-

_Mori_. I stopped, shaken. I had… I gulped, sweat starting to dribble down my nape. I was right in front of the announcer. I had - I had stalked toward her - like prey. Chalk filled my mouth, the horrified stares of the other contestants burning the back of my neck. Minoru was a step behind me, his stride desperate like he was being yanked forward by an invisible thread.

I had - I had been about to strangle this woman.

My insides crawled, my whole world tipping a bit more. What was I turning into? I didn't just kill like this… I had reasons - I was - I was - _Coming undone_.

I could feel Ichihiro's delighted stare at my nape, his eyes hungry and perverse in a way that begged for bloodshed. I was half-tempted to give it to him right there.

"You mean these, right?" a silky voice purred and my whole body tingled, shivering with a whole other reason than my own impulse control issues.

A strong arm banded around my waist, tugging me back into the hard expanse of a chest. The familiar scent of sweetness swept over me, making my head go disorientingly light. His aura enveloped, intoxicating in the way that liquor is, a sweet release that can turn addictive in only a moment. For once, I didn't push it away, sinking beneath its weight until it almost crushed me, begging for violence in every teasing caress.

Round badges flashed in front of my face, Hisoka's slim fingers shuffling them between in index and thumb. At some point, he had to have pulled them from Minoru's pouch, the bear rumbling a grumpy threat from deep in his throat behind us. The announcer's cat-like eyes widened, blinking waterily between Hisoka and me. Her face had gone an alarmingly pale shade, a dewy sweat sparkling along her throat. Had I done that? From just walking toward her?

A trickle of Hisoka's aura pressed up my calf, wrapping teasingly around my ankle. I could feel him against my back, the corded muscles in his chest pressing into my much smaller body.

"Oh, um, yes!" The announcer started unsteadily, her clipboard quivering in her fingers as she glanced down to get her bearings once more. "The last contestant number 200, Miss Mori."

"You were about to do something very bad." Hisoka's breath is hot against my ear, his lips grazing the shell for a moment as he leans closer, his arm tightening around my waist until it borders on pain. Like he can barely control himself. His fingers dig into my hip, his sharp nails pricking my skin through the layers of clothing.

I can't help it. My aura withers, pressing against his as I tip my head to the side, finally meeting his gaze and losing my breath at what greets me. His eyes have burned to warmed honey, the lids heavy as his lips twist into a cruel smirk. He looks like he wants to eat me alive. Like he's dying to press me up against the nearest surface and -

I gasp, heat rushing up my throat, my mind muddling through one subject after another. It's a rush - the highs of the day colliding with each other until I can barely think straight. And now, staring into his eyes I can't comprehend where I am, what I should be worrying about, the agony of what's happened, what will happen, because all I want-

His smirk notches up a bit, turning into something sinister. Fuck, he's going to kill me, isn't he?

His lips crash down on mine, his teeth biting into my bottom lip until I gasp at the burst of blood. And then all I can taste is metal and something sweet and doughy as his tongue rubs along mine. It's him - _Hisoka, Hisoka, Hisoka_ \- his free hand clenching into the downy hair at my nape until I feel a spark of pain tingle along my scalp. His nails bruising my cheek as he forces my chin up higher, moving me so that I have to either accept his kiss or fight him.

My hands curl around his forearm as his body curls around me, tangling in an intoxicating dance that confuses and excites me. His tongue rubs along mine, again and again, making me burn. I want more. I want -

He pulls back, leaving me panting and flushed, his eyes so hot that they burn into me like a brand. Slowly, his thumb rubs along my bottom lips followed closely by his tongue, smearing my leftover blood along his own lips, dying his teeth a grotesque shade of red.

His smile is cruel, heated the way a brand might be before it sears into someone's skin. "Ah," he sighs darkly, his voice husky. "You taste best when you're filled with so much anger, my little mouse." He leans down once more, quickly nipping down until my lip opens again before lapping away the blood. My insides tightened, a low ache starting between my thighs. His eyes met mine again, his nose rubbing along mine is a deceptively tender caress. "You should lose control more often."

I let out a breath. And then another one. Finally, I centering myself enough to realize that all of the other contestants had begun to murmur to each other, the announcer wearing a scandalized grimace on her pretty face as she gaped at us. My nails had clawed through his skin, leaving red ribbons all along his forearm.

"Be careful what you wish for, Hisoka," I whispered, flushing at the husky notes in my own voice. "Next time I might be losing control with you."

I disentangled myself from his grip, his low, lusty groan following me along with those hooded eyes and that smirk. Minoru had dipped down, his head turned pointedly away as I strode away from the deadly man behind me. I had been losing control too much lately. I was afraid of what would happen if I let it run my life.

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_As always, if you want to make me a happy little writer, **please review and check out my patreon.** _


	22. Chapter 22

The medical tape crinkled, resisting me as I clamped my hand into a tight fist. After the last exam, they had shuffled the remaining contestants back onto the airship, chattering away about this and that, oblivious to the fact that half of us were so exhausted that we could barely walk straight.

I didn't look Hisoka's way, choosing instead to keep a wide berth as we had been caroled into separate holding cells but his eyes had caught mine, that slim smile in place as his tongue had ran over his bottom lip. Stupid - that's what that kiss had been. A bonus in whatever twisted game he was playing. He had me in the palm of his hand, spinning around and around his fingers like a ball through a series of tunnels. It was a bad idea to pay attention to anyone so chaotic, so willing to inflict pain, so able to turn my emotions, churning them into something that felt decadent and..._right_.

The bandages pulled taught, pressing into the raw stitches in my shoulder as I brought up a hand to sweep my damp hair out of my face.

The examiners had quickly sectioned us off, pushing us into separate rooms with showers and our own medical teams waiting to patch us up and send us all pretty to the next round. I was uncomfortable - antsy. More than that, the lack of my brothers… I gulped, looking around the wide-open space of my cabin. The perfectly made bed. The useless closet in the corner. All of it...felt too big like a yawning space that needed to be filled. My stomach tightened, my head throbbing.

I wanted my brothers. I missed them.

My hands tightened again, the stiff side of the medical tape cutting into me once more as I sank into a chair. On the bed, Minoru was curled into himself, his body the smallest I had seen it in a while. Before, I had been grateful for the silence. Grateful that I didn't hear his voice and lull myself into a sense of security. But now, without even the comfort of another person near me, I felt… Something wet and heavy filled my chest, sinking me down like cement in a pit.

My head gave another uncomfortable throb, my eyes pricking with exhaustion and pain. I needed to get water and sleep and probably eat something in the next-

"Attention, all applicants." Minoru stirred, his ears flipping back and forth for a moment before raising his head warily. On that, we both agreed. I didn't like hearing from these examiners. It always made things more complicated. "The chairman wishes to interview you. When you hear your number, come to the reception room on the second floor. We'll start with number 44, Hisoka."

My eyes collided with Minoru's instantly, his gaze inscrutable. For a moment, we sat in tense silence, each of us listening for something - what that was, I couldn't tell.

_You haven't eaten in 38 hours, _Minoru finally said, his eyes impassive.

I kept his gaze, hoping that any emotion was buried deep inside. "I've gone longer."

_You don't have your brother's to pick up your slack this time, _he shot back and I resisted the urge to flinch. _There's no one in this game that can help you any longer._

I didn't think that that warranted a comment. My head tipped to the side, running along his hulking form. He took up the entire king-sized mattress. "Have you always known when I eat? Does the amount that you're sucking out of me fluctuate when I'm weak?"

Now it was his turn to flinch, his head dropping slightly, muzzle dipping into his shoulder. _Yes. _Was that shame in his tone? _Your energy feels… more forced… when you're like this. It makes me uncomfortable. Like I'm feeding from a dead body._

Oh, that was a lovely comparison. I forced a grin, my stomach churning sickly. "Maybe I should keep myself like this for you."

_You would be hurting yourself more than anyone else, _he growled, looking vicious and...hurt? I felt my teeth bare further, becoming something ugly. He looked away first. _I don't have a say in how much I take. Like an auto-payment that goes through every month - I take enough to survive. Your nen is different from mine. You have different...abilities._

My breath halted for a moment. "What does that mean? Abilities?"

His eyes flitted to meet mine for a moment before darting away. He was hiding something. _Nen is heavily influenced by its user. Each person's use of their nen is dictated by the person's needs, wants, emotional state. Your needs are different from mine-_

"You're a creature from me," I snapped, my temples already starting to bang out a withering tempo. I needed food and water soon. "That would make us one being. So that doesn't-"

_We're not one being, _Minoru cut me off, looking annoyed by the comment. _Think of me as a parasitic extension._

"Already way ahead of you," I hissed out acidicly and he grimaced, his jowls rolling back to flash teeth and gums.

Strained, he pressed on. _My personality and appearance are influenced by you but… but that doesn't mean that my nen abilities are the same as yours. I'm not an extension of you. I'm a different feature entirely._

"Like another face," I whispered without thinking, rolling this information around in my head and getting a small nod in return. I barely knew anything about nen abilities - just enough to know that they existed and were more supernatural than anything I had ever confronted before. I had no point of reference. No picture or diagram or example, only vague pictures in my head from my mother's teachings. She had always been more of an action first, example later kind of woman. "You said there were others like you. How do you know that?"

Minoru closed his eyes for a brief moment. _I just… do. Knowledge… is kind of my thing._

I didn't know what the fuck that meant. I leant forward, catching his eye. "Give me all the information on the sender of that letter."

Minoru visibly winced. _I - I can't do that._

A low snarl slipped from my lips, my teeth baring. "Why the fuck not? You told me that you _know_ things. Tell me all the things that you _know_ then."

His eyes were pinched. _It doesn't work like that… There are certain rules...vows and restrictions._

I nearly screamed, frustration mixing with my own hunger and thirst and exhaustion. I wanted _answers_. I wanted to stop playing this game - whatever the fuck this game even _was_. "So you can tell me some things but not the things I really need to know?!"

_In a way, _he whispered, sounding defeated like he hated himself for denying me. If possible that made me even more enraged. I leaped up, slamming across the room to the small fridge in the corner and yanking out a bottle of water before chugging it down.

Whipping around, I glared at him. "Can you tell me these rules then?"

His eyes darted around the room quickly before his head moved in a slow shake. _Now wouldn't be the best time._

I sneered. "What? Think I would use them against you?"

He didn't answer, his eyes so deep and dark as he stared out the small cabin window beside the shower. My stomach dropped as that silence lengthened. That was exactly why he wouldn't tell me more. Because he didn't trust me. Not anymore.

Did I blame him?

"Number 200, Mori please come to the second floor." I jerked, staring up at the ceiling as if the chairman would be launching himself out from the air vents at any moment.

For a moment, I hesitated, my eyes swaying to where Minoru sat, his head still bowed. I… I gulped, grabbing another water bottle and downing it quickly. I couldn't be mad at him for not trusting me. And… I couldn't even fully trust myself to not use those limitations against him myself. To inadvertently end things. How disgusting was that?

"Stay here," I whispered finally, moving slowly to the door. "Keep our stuff safe."

I had only left my hoodie and blades behind. What stuff? But right now I needed separation more than I needed my next breath. I need to get away from the crushing reality that I was… alone. Maybe for the first time in my entire life.

And it was terrifying.

The way up to the second floor was confusing since I hadn't taken the time to look around the ship, choosing instead to shower and get my wounds looked at. Eventually, I found a small stairwell which brought me up into a clean, straight hallway just as-

My heart gave an uncomfortable pump, pressing against my chest until I could feel it expanding like a balloon about to burst. Metallic tang burst along my tongue, needles pressing into the inside of my stomach.

The smooth glide of a lanky boy closed a door at the end of the hallway silently, his hands pressed nonchalantly into his pockets. I felt something foreign pump into me, burning my muscles into heady action. Luminous eyes caught mine, a slash of a smile cutting along Ichihiro's face until he looked giddy. Giddy because he had wanted to see me. Giddy because atop his head sat a limp, dirty orange beanie, his greasy mop of hair pressing out from the frayed edges.

His teeth flashed, his tongue running along his lips quickly. "Mouse-"

I took off, my muscles burning, my whole body burning, not caring that I didn't have Minoru or my daggers or enough food in me to give me the energy to fight - because there - sitting there on his head was _my brother's _hat.

My stomach twisted, my mind near blank with rage as I reached him, sprinting the distance of the hall in a matter of seconds. I saw his eyes - those ugly, bulbous things roll, focusing on me for a moment in surprise right before my fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying into the glass window. The whole hallway shook, an alarming snapping ringing through the hallways. If I was more in control of myself I would have stopped, checking to make sure that I wasn't about to bust through the side of the airship.

Instead, I lurched after him, my hands scrambling at his clothes like a drowning man as I leveled him up again, wanting him to be closer so that I could ram my fist into the side of his face once more.

One more time.

_Another_. Blood splattered my tank, his spittle, and fluids mixing. Distantly, I heard voices, cries of alarm, and warning as my hand throbbed, the bandages around my knuckles offer little comfort. I would _kill him_. _I would_-

"GET OFF OF HIM, MISS MORI!"

I snarled, my hands curling into his collar as I yanked him up, his face already starting to swell and color, blood dripping from his nose and mouth in rivulets, my shoulder roaring at the strain. His eyes focused on me - looking - looking greedy. Like he wanted more. I hissed, frothing at the bit to give him just that. "What did you do to them?"

That mangled lip curled up, his hands curling around my wrists almost… _delicately_. My stomach rolled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

My blood iced, burning me as I felt the agony of those words course through me. I imagined them sprawled out, waiting for me. Needing me. Calling for me. As he - as he trapped them as he had trapped me. Using those knives - That water rose up, burning the back of my throat. And the worst part was that he could see it. He could see every image as it skittered along my mind and he was bathing in it, eating it up like a starved animal.

A scream ripped from my throat, sounding like agony and misery and hatred all born into one breaking crescendo. I raised my fists to go in again, wanting to beat him until he _told_ _me-_

"WE TOLD YOU TO STOP, MISS MORI!" I screamed again, kicking and clawing as arms bracketed my waist. Laughter filled the hallway, high and hysterical and it made me fight harder, my breath ragged as Ichihiro curled in on himself with glee.

I kicked one of the examiners in the groin, lurching forward just to have someone else's meaty hand dig into my injured shoulder, making me howl. My eyes caught on that scrap of orange - Amori's hat. That was _my brother's hat_. Another hand curled around the nape of my neck, yanking my head back.

Tears burned my eyes, my hand swiping futilely at the dark-haired boy, his face torn with glee. I sent a desperately elbow into another person's rib-cage, making them grunt and give me enough room to scramble forward, my hand closing on…

_Air_.

I howled, the sound cutting raggedly off as someone tackled me to the ground, making my whole body throb. I just needed to get that hat - Hand's yanked my own to the ground, three people crowding over me as I thrashed, biting, kicking, _desperate-_

_Fwip._

My breath sawed out of my throat. I had started crying at some point, my vision a blur of colors. But even blind I would know that sound. The sound of playing cards being toyed with, of death served on a cute platter.

"I think it would be a good idea to let her up now, hm?" Hisoka crouched beside my head, his bulky body oddly curved around me as those slender fingers shuffled a card between them. His smile was anything but pleasant, a mockery of all nicety as he eyed the examiners who paled under his scrutiny. That only made his smile grow, his golden eyes lighting feverishly.

Panting, I jerked my hands, seething as the examiners didn't let up.

"She-" a plank-like man started, his face alight with fear but still unyieldingly dutiful.

Hisoka's face twisted, his canine's flashing. "Now."

A beat past, each second feeling like an offering of mercy from the red-haired man as the examiners swallowed. Finally, slowly, their fingers uncurled, letting go of my sweaty flesh. I sneered, kicking the last one to let go of me in the shins. He let out a yelp, grunting as I scrambled back, bumping into Hisoka's still crouching form as he kept a watchful eye on the three.

My throat went dry, my eyes immediately searching out where they had lifted the bloody mess of Ichihiro from the ground, that lopsided smile still on his face even as they started to usher him away. Still wearing my brother's hat. I lurched forward, intending to go in for him again - not caring that this would get me kicked out, not caring-

A hand grasped my nape, not rough like before but firm enough to jerk me to a stop. I blinked, my stomach tightening at the restraint, my hands shaking as I watch Ichihiro tug at my brother's hat. A strangled breath left me, my eyes unable to look away. "He has-"

"I know." My eyes snapped to Hisoka, his voice pleasant, almost amused. But - I shivered, ice chilling my spine. That look in his eyes was anything but. That look promised breaking bones and torment. That card flicked from finger to finger, his eyes tracking Ichihiro like a cat that had just spotted a particularly uninteresting mouse, but a mouse none-the-less. Finally, after a long moment, his finger's squeezed down on my nape - a gentle, almost comforting squeeze before he rolled from his crouch, graceful as ever.

Honeycomb eyes slid to me, his face unreadable for a moment before he was leaning down, grasping me under the arms with strong hands and lifting me like a doll into a standing position. My head tipped back, craning to make out anything on his face. Murder still pumped through my veins, begging. Maybe that was why he smiled down at me then - a genuine one. Because like sings to like and at that moment we were two hurricanes meeting in a lonely, sea-side town.

_Let me go after him_, I was tempted to beg him, my hands clenching and unclenching at my side in sporadic intervals.

Briefly, his gaze flicked down to my cut lip once more, darkening. Did he-? The moment was gone in an instant, his hands turning me deftly down the hall. "Time to go to your interview."

"No-" I bit out, half-heartedly turning against his hold only to be reeled back in, pushed toward that door that I had seen Ichihiro step out of earlier.

"You'll want to go to it," he whispered, leaning forward until I could feel the hot blow of his breath on my ear, a hand resting against my hip. "This one might give you something that you want~"

_I want his head_, I thought, my insides warming at the closed door. Hisoka had gone first. I turned, tipping my head to meet his eyes and seeing quiet laughter in them. My stomach loosened a bit. _Maybe_…

His voice was low, a sly promise. "I suggest you keep your answer..._singular_."

With that, he forced the door open with one hand, the other pushing gently at the small of my back until I stepped through.

* * *

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